Broken Angel
by TwistedRocketPower
Summary: Abby goes missing and the whole team races to find her. A lot of pressure is put on Tim, and him feeling it's his fault doesn't help. Can the team rescue Abby from the kidnapper? And, if they do, will it be too late to save her from herself?
1. The Unheard Cry For Help

**A few things before we get started: All characters will be involved in this story. It is mainly about Abby and Tim, but the whole team is there all the way through. This is my first multi-chapter NCIS story. My other NCIS story does have more than one chapter but each chapter is about something different... Also, because of what Abby goes through she will not always be her usual happy self. Anyway, I hope you enjoy... **

* * *

_'Cold. I'm so... Why am I so cold?'_ She tried to open her eyes but she couldn't. She tried to move, but she couldn't do that either. _'What's wrong with me? What happened?' _She begins to panic. Finally, using every bit of strength that she had, she forced her eyes open. Little did she know that that's when her nightmare would begin. _'No, no, no,'_ She thought as tears stung her eyes. She could feel that she had been chained... but to what? She could feel, but she couldn't move. She couldn't move anything except her eyes. She moved her eyes down to see a hospital bed. She was chained to a hospital bed. _'Oh God! Oh God!'_ She was screaming but the words wouldn't come out. Why couldn't she talk? Why couldn't she call out for help? Not that it would matter. From what she could tell the room had no windows. Just white, concrete walls. However, nothing out of eye view could be seen. She looked up at the ceiling, her eyes were automatically drawn to the right corner. There was a camera pointed directly at her. Again she tried to scream. Her lips barely opened and all that came out was a whispered, "Help." True, that was more than she could do before, but it was still torture to her. She heard something... A door opening perhaps? There was a squeaky sound then a click. What was that click? Was it the door, if there was a door, closing back?

"Good to see you're awake," a mysterious voice said from behind her. It was the first voice she had heard in... How long? How long had she been there? How did she get there? Why was she there? Why couldn't she remember?

"Don't be worried, yet. There will be plenty of time for that later on. Right now you need to work on regaining full control of your body. Concentrate on that. See, I gave you a drug that temporarily paralyzes you. You will slowly be able to move again. You will also be able to talk. I advise you not to yell though as no one can hear you here anyway. Yelling would be pointless, and it is quite annoying."

The voice. It was so calm. It was like he was a tour guide, just reciting the same script that he had learned long ago and said so many times before.

Suddenly the voice had a face. A man in his mid-thirties hovered over her. He had dark, chocolate brown eyes and a full head of brown hair. He was tall and had dark skin. He smiled down at her with his white, straight teeth shining. If it wasn't for the fact that he had kidnapped her, she might have found him cute.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Sciuto."

* * *

_Five hours earlier..._

"Are you coming or not, Timmy?" Abby shouted from the living room.

"I thought you wanted popcorn," He called back as he stood in the kitchen.

"I do! But it's taking a long time."

"Its been two minutes."

"Exactly!"

Tim rolled his eyes and smiled, "I thought Gibbs was the impatient one."

"I heard that!"

"I wanted you too." He took the popcorn out of the microwave and emptied the bag into a bowl. "What do you want to drink?"

"Caf-Pow," They both said at the same time.

Abby sighed, "Why do you ask if you already know?"

"Cause it's fun for me." Tim came into the living room carrying the popcorn, Caf-Pow, and a bottle of water for him. After handing Abby her drink, and setting his on the coffee table, he sat down and placed the bowl in between them on the couch.

"I don't see how you drink that stuff so late," Tim said as Abby started the movie and all the FBI warnings came up on the screen.

"You want me to stay awake don't you?"

"You never do anyway. You always fall asleep on me."

Abby glared at Tim and punched his arm, "Do not... Only sometimes."

"Mhmm."

"Oh be quiet and watch the movie."

Tim laughed and stopped his teasing.

* * *

An hour and a half later the popcorn bowl that once separated Tim and Abby was on the floor. Abby was sound asleep with her head on Tim's chest and her arm draped around him. He was slouched down comfortably with his legs on the floor. His arm lied gently across her back as his eyes drooped. "Told you you always fall asleep on me," He mumbled. Soon enough he was fast asleep as well.

That's when he came in. He picked the lock to her apartment and made his way inside. He looked at the two sleeping figures in the living room and smiled. He didn't know what they would be doing when he went in. He didn't even know that she would have company. But the fact that they were asleep was a plus for him. He pulled a rag out of his pocket and placed it over Tim's face. Two breaths and he was even more out of it than before. The rag was meant to be just for Abby... But to be honest he did want Abby to try and fight him off before he knocked her out. That would make him even more satisfied.

In his other pocket he had a syringe. He took it out and held it tightly in his hand. He got down close to Abby's face. "Miss Sciuto," He whispered so quietly it could barely be heard, "Miss Sciuto. Wake up, please."

Abby began to stir and soon her eyes were open. The man stood up and took a few steps back as he waited for her to fully wake up and realize she wasn't dreaming. Suddenly her eyes widened. He smiled at her as a shocked expression fell over her face, "T... T... Tim!" She yelled. She jumped up and grabbed a lamp off of the table on the side of her couch. She threw it at him, but he got out of the way in time.

"McGee!" She yelled again as the man came closer to her. She continued to back up until she was in the corner. Now she had nowhere to go. He grabbed her and picked her up. She began kicking at him and in the process knocked over her other lamp. He threw her down on the floor and straddled her. He jerked the cap off of the syringe with his teeth and quickly put the needle into her squirming body.

"Tim! Timmy!" She continued to yell. It was no use. He couldn't hear her. He couldn't hear anything. The man injected the drug and within seconds the squirming and yelling had stopped. Her eyes were wide open. She knew everything that was going on, she just couldn't react.

He took the rag that he had used on Tim and placed it over her face. His smile was the last thing she saw before everything went dark. Now there was no way for her to fight back or have any idea where she was going.

* * *

_Present..._

"Your friend should be waking up soon," He said, still standing over her, "He got more Chloroform than you did. He'll find the mess you made and call for help. Unfortunately for you help won't come anytime soon... I will let you know now that I don't want to rape you. However, I do intend to torture you for a very long time."

* * *

**Okay, so I am not an every day updater, but I do try to update at least once a week. I have written up to chapter seven of this story by hand, now I just need to type it all up. Not sure how long this story will be but I hope you enjoy. Please review to let me know what you think of chapter one :) Thank you!**


	2. The Feeling Of Time Being Wasted

Tim held his head in his hands as he sat in the back of the ambulance. Police cars, officers, detectives, NCIS agents, FBI agents, and even a CIA agent were all around him. Some officers were running back and forth, talking with each other. Most of the agents were on their phones. The detectives were coming in and out of the apartment. Life was moving so fast around him, but at the same time he felt as though everything was in slow motion. His memory was groggy. His heart was pounding. His head was killing him. He was worried, scared, and mad all at the same time.

He had called Gibbs the moment he woke up and realized Abby was missing. It was four o'clock in the morning. Gibbs answered his phone angrily, threatening whoever might have been on the other line. Tim could tell he hadn't bothered to look at the caller I.D.. Who would when they're half asleep?

Within thirty minutes of Gibbs hearing the news there were so many people and cars surrounding the apartment... So many people that Tim didn't know, and he didn't know how Gibbs knew.

Tim looked over at the CIA agent. Why the heck was CIA there? Gibbs hated the CIA... but he loved Abby. He would do anything for Abby. That's why he was there.

The only FBI agent that Tim knew was Fornell. There was no question why he was there. Gibbs always called him when he could use a little extra help. Even if he didn't admit that that was the reason.

Tim put his head back in his hands. He hoped that this was all a dream. None of it seemed fully real.

* * *

Abby slowly began to regain feeling in her hands and feet.

"See, I told you that you'd have control of your body again," Her captor said to her with a smile.

"Let me go," Abby said angrily. Her voice was stronger, but she still couldn't yell.

The man laughed, "I will never understand why people say that. Why would I let you go? I kidnapped you. I obviously want you here. I will not be letting you go."

Tears filled in Abby's eyes. She tried to choke them back, but one fell anyway, "Why?" She asked.

"Why what? Why am I doing this?"

Abby nodded.

"Soon enough you will know the answer. For now you just need to rest until you're back to full strength. I'll be back later."

As more tears rolled down Abby's face the mysterious man left the room.

* * *

"I should have heard something. I should have been able to do something," Tim said as he looked around Abby's apartment. Most of the people had cleared out and left. The only ones who remained were Fornell, Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and Ducky. Ducky had been called in when Tim refused to go to the hospital. Ducky kindly reminded everyone that he was used to treating the dead, but he did figure out that Tim had been drugged.

"There was nothing you coul have done," Ziva replied, "You were drugged. You could not have heard."

"Yeah, that's what Ducky, Tony, and Fornell have all told me."

"It is the truth."

Tim nodded, "Doesn't make me feel any better though."

"We're all done here, Boss," Tony said as he walked up to Gibbs.

"Take Ziva with you back to NCIS. Start running the fingerprints that were found in here."

"Uh... I'm not sure that... You see Boss, Abby does the fingerprint thing and-"

"I know how to do it," Tim interrupted.

Gibbs nodded, "Go. I'll be there soon."

The three agents left, Tim walking a few steps behind Tony and Ziva.

* * *

Tim ran every print they had found in the apartment. It had taken over three hours and one of only two names appeared each time. Abigail Sciuto and Timothy McGee.

Tim cursed loudly as he picked up the keyboard and slammed it back down on the desk.

"Whoa, what's wrong with you?" Tony asked as he and Ziva entered the lab.

"What's wrong?" Tim repeated angrily, "What's wrong is that Abby is missing! What's wrong is that I was with her when she was kidnapped! What's wrong is that I couldn't do anything! What's wrong is that the fingerprints that were lifted are all mine and hers! That's what's wrong, Tony!"

"Jeez, McSnappy-"

"Shut up... What is it with you guys anyway? You've all seemed so calm. Do you not care about Abby?"

"Of course we care, McGee," Ziva shot back, "But we know that panicking will not help. Abby has been in tough situations before and she has always come out just fine. You are still feeling guilty that you did not help her. You are feeling sorry for yourself. You need to stop thinking about what could have been. Do your job and help to find her." With one last look to Tony, Ziva left out of the room.

Tim was silent for a moment. "What did you need?" He asked. His voice was full of shame.

"Gibbs wanted to know if you got anything from the fingerprints. I'll tell him no."

Tony walked out of the lab, leaving Tim to himself. Tim rubbed his forehead as the headache he already had became worse.

* * *

Fornell walked over to Gibbs' desk, "We need to talk to Agent McGee," He said, "He was the last one to see her. He might remember something. Might have seen something unusual that he didn't pay attention to at the time."

"Yeah, I know. In a minute."

Ziva walked to her desk and sat down.

"Fingerprints?" Gibbs asked.

Ziva shook her head, "Nothing... Gibbs, McGee is acting... strange."

"What do you mean?"

"He just snapped at Tony. He began yelling at him and all Tony did was ask what is wrong."

Gibbs looked at Fornell, "Let's talk to him now."

"Lead the way."

Tony walked out of the elevator and towards Gibbs, "Hey Boss, McGee didn't get any-"

"I know," Gibbs replied as he continued walking to the elevator, Fornell following closely behind.

* * *

Ten minutes later the three men were in interrogation. Tim squirmed uncomfortably in his chair as Fornell studied him with his eyes.

"Relax, Agent McGee, we're just talking. You were the last person to see Abby so we need to know everything."

"If we're just talking then why aren't we in a conference room?"

"All filled right now," Gibbs replied.

"Okay, let's begin. Start with leaving work."

Tim nodded, "It was eight o'clock. I went home to change," Tim looked down and realized he was still in his sweat pants and MIT t-shirt, "Into this. Then I drove to Abby's apartment and let myself in. I got there around nine."

"You have a key?" Fornell questioned.

"Yes... Anyway, I made popcorn and we sat down to watch the movie. By the time it was half way over she was sound asleep. I fell asleep a few minutes afterwards. When I woke up, she was gone."

"You two watch movies together alot?"

Tim nodded, "Yeah. We've had random movie night since we met. It's relaxing after a hard day at work."

"Uh-huh." The room was awkwardly quiet for a moment, then Fornell continued, "You two dating?"

Tim's eyes widened, "No!" He looked over to Gibbs, "No," He repeated. "Rule twelve. Don't date co-workers... No."

"Okay. Well, did you see anything suspicious? Any cars that appeared more than once? Any strange activity? Anything?"

Tim thought for a moment then shook his head, "No, I'm sorry, I can't think of anything."

"That's fine. Thank you Agent McGee, you can go."

Tim nodded and quickly left the room. The last thing he wanted was to be in there. He felt like everyone was wasting time. Things weren't moving fast enough. Deep in his heart he knew everyone was doing whatever needed to be done, but it just didn't seem good enough.

"That wasn't useful at all," Fornell said with sigh.

"Nope," Gibbs agreed.

"Thanks for joining in. You were a big help. It was really necessary for you to be here," Fornell added sarcastically.

Gibbs stood up and began to leave the room, "Anytime."

* * *

Abby could now move her whole body and she was finally able to scream.

"Help! Help! Help me!" She screamed as loud as she could as she jerked at the chains that held her down.

The man sighed as he entered the room rolling a tray with a glass of water on it, "I told you not to scream!" He yelled over her voice, "It's very annoying!"

Abby glared at him, "Let me go, you jerk! My friends are gonna find me and when they do you'll wish you were dead!"

"Well you're just a little fireball aren't you? You see, Miss Sciuto, I have no doubt that your friends will eventually find you. The questions are, will you be alive when they do? And, if you are, will you ever be the same person you were?"

Abby stared at him for a moment then continued to scream, "Help! Help!"

"Oh, shut up!" He was now getting very annoyed. Suddenly he slapped her across the face which caused her to gasp in shock. It also caused her to stop screaming.

"Good girl," He said as he picked the water up from the tray, "After all of that you must be very thirsty." He lifted her head and placed the glass to her mouth, but she wouldn't drink.

"You think it's poisoned, don't you?" He questioned. He then took a sip of the water himself, "There. Now you know it's not. Drink."

The fact that her throat felt extremely dry caused her to take a few sips of the water.

"Good job," He said with a smile, "I have to go now, but when I get back we're going to play a little game."

* * *

**I changed this quite a bit from what my original version was. I like this better though. Thank you guys so much for the reviewing, adding to your alerts, and adding to your favorites. It means alot to me!**  
**Let me know what you think of chapter two :)**


	3. The Beginning Of The Game

Once Gibbs left out of interrogation he went to look for Tim. He thought he'd be able to catch up to him quickly, but he found out that Tim moved quicker than he thought.

"You two seen McGee?" Gibbs asked as he walked to the bullpen.

"Yeah," Tony replied, "He said he was gonna go outside for some air. He was movin' fast too-"

Before Tony could finish Gibbs began walking to the elevator.

Ziva looked at Tony, "If only I could be a bug."

"A fly," Tony corrected.

Ziva shrugged, "Any bug would do."

* * *

Gibbs went outside and saw Tim sitting at a bench, he was bent over with his elbows resting on his legs and his head in his hands.

Gibbs quietly sat down beside him. Tim didn't even realize he was there. "You are faster than I thought," Gibbs began.

Tim looked up quickly, "Boss! I didn't know you were sitting there."

Gibbs didn't want to waste time. He wanted to find Abby just as quickly as everyone else did. So, he got right to the point, "What didn't you tell us in there?" He asked.

"What?"

"Come on McGee, I know you weren't lyin' to Fornell and me, but you left something out."

Tim looked down at the ground and shook his head, "It's... It's nothing, Boss."

"Tim!"

Tim was silent for a moment, but he knew that when Gibbs called him by his first name he was serious... Well, even more serious than usual, "I... I was holding her."

"Gotta give me more than that, McGee."

"When we watch movies together, she always gets tired about half way through. She lays with her head on my chest because she said she likes the sound of my heart beating. I had my arm around her. I was holding her!" Tim was boiling with anger, "She was right there, Boss!"

"There was nothing you could have done."

Tim stood up quickly, "I wish everyone would would stop telling me that!"

"It's true."

"I know! It's just..." Tim sat back down and looked at Gibbs, "I'm a federal agent. I'm trained to protect people. I know I was drugged and I know I couldn't have helped her. But I still feel like I should have."

Gibbs nodded in understanding, "Every agent has felt that way when something goes wrong... Well, the good ones have anyway. You gotta remember Tim, you're a human being. You're not invincible. 'Agent' is just a title." Gibbs stood up and began to walk away, then he turned back around, "You could still help her you know. That is if you'll get your butt back inside and do your job."

Those last two sentences seemed to help Tim the most. He got up immediately and walked back into NCIS with Gibbs.

* * *

It was two hours before Abby's captor returned to the room, "Okay Miss Sciuto, are you ready to play the game?"

Abby didn't respond. She just laid there, staring at the ceiling.

"It's not nice to ignore people when they ask you a question." He came up to her and placed a hand around her throat, slowly choking her, "Now, are you ready to play the game?"

Abby nodded as she gasped for breath.

"Good." The man released his grip on her. "First you need to sit up." He raised the head of the bed so that she would be in a sitting position. Then he began to unchain one of her arms from the bed, "Slowly, over the next few days, these chains will start to come off. I know you must have to go to the bathroom, but until all the chains are off you will just have to go in your bed. Now, If you try to escape I will catch you, and I will not be very happy. Believe me Miss Sciuto, you do not want to make me angry."

"Who... Who are you?" Abby asked cautiously. She wasn't sure how he'd react to being asked questions right now.

"You can call me Joe," He replied. "Now, for the game: First you will pick a number one through four. Each of those numbers has a person attached to it. Their names are Jethro, Ziva, Anthony, and Timothy..."

Abby looked up at the sound of her friends... no, her families, names.

Joe smiled, "I knew that would get your attention... Anyway, you are going to tell me which number you choose and I will call that person. You will be allowed to talk to that person and only that person for three minutes. The numbers do not go in the order that I gave you their names. You may choose now."

Abby's heart was racing, "Three," She answered.

He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, "Good choice. You will know your pick soon." He opened the cell phone and began dialing a number.

* * *

Back at NCIS everyone was working at their desks. Fornell was sitting at the smaller desk area next to McGee. They were all searching for anything that would help them find Abby. So far they had nothing. Everyone was quiet. All that could be heard was the sounds of typing on keyboards.

A ringing phone dragged everyone out of their thoughts, but they quickly returned to their work as the phone was answered.

"Special Agent McGee."

"Hello, Timothy," Joe replied.

Abby's heart began racing even harder at the sound of Tim's name.

Tim waited for whoever was on the line to say more, but they didn't. "Can I help you with something?" He asked.

"No, but I can help you. Put me on speaker."

"...Okay," Tim looked around the room and began snapping his fingers to get everyone's attention. Then he put the phone on speaker, "You're on speaker."

"Good. Is Jethro, Anthony, and Ziva there as well?"

They all paid close attention as their names were called. Fornell stood up from his desk and leaned on the half wall that separated him from the rest of the team.

"Yes, they're all here," Tim replied. "Who is this?"

"First of all, you will probably want to begin a trace on my phone. You won't get anything but it will keep you from having to start it once I begin."

Getting a nod from Gibbs, Tim began the trace.

"Have you started?" Joe asked.

"Yes," Tim answered.

"Good. Now you can listen."

Ducky entered the room to see how things were going, but he was quickly hushed by Gibbs before he began to speak.

"I have Miss Sciuto with me. She is alive and well... Well, she's probably not 'well', but she is alive. Agent McGee has been chosen by Miss Sciuto, although unknowingly, to be the one to speak with her. Now I need to explain the rules of this game to all of you so I want you to listen very carefully. Understand?"

"Get on with it," Gibbs replied when no one else spoke up.

"Alright. During this game Timothy, and only Timothy, will be able to talk to Miss Sciuto. I will call once a day. The time from now on will be 9a.m.. You will have three minutes to talk to her. You will always be on speaker phone while talking with her and I will hear the entire conversation. If I do not like one of the questions you ask, or I disagree with anything you say, then she will be harmed. I will leave the phone on as I hurt her in any way I choose and if you hang up then I will kill her. Do you understand me so far, Timothy?"

Tim swallowed hard as the information sunk in, "Yes."

"Good. You will also never put me on speaker phone unless I say so. No one will talk to Miss Sciuto except Timothy. If anyone else tempts to speak with her than that will result in me harming her as well. Good days end with me giving you a clue as to where Miss Sciuto might be. Bad days end with her screaming. Do you have any questions for me, Timothy?"

"One. Why are you doing this?"

"Oh, yes. The big question of why. You see, Timothy, my brother was tortured when I was younger. He escaped and NCIS was put on the case. They didn't find who tortured him until after he had killed himself out of fear that the person would come back. No one on your team worked the case. No one on your team was even working at NCIS when it happened. But I want to see if you all will work faster and harder when one of your own is the torture victim. Are you ready to speak to Miss Sciuto?"

"Yes," Tim answered quickly.

"Take me off of speaker phone and you can."

Gibbs gave Tim another nod and he did as Joe said.

"Okay. You're off," Tim said.

"Good boy. Here is Miss Sciuto." Joe put his phone on speaker and put it in Abby's free hand.

"Tim?" Abby questioned, almost not believing he was on the line.

"Abby! Are you okay?"

"I'm... I'm alive, so... How are you?"

Tim smiled for a moment, _'Only Abby would worry about others when she's in danger,'_ He thought. "I've been so worried about you, Abby. Are you hurt?"

She looked down at where the chains held her. Bruises were forming from all the jerking she had done from trying to get out of them. "Just some bruises. It'll heal."

"Do you know where you are?" Tim asked, not even thinking.

"Not a good question!" Joe yelled. He punched Abby in the stomach twice which caused her to scream and drop the phone.

"Don't!" Tim yelled as he leapt to his feet in a panic.

Tony, Ziva and Gibbs all stood up as well and walked over to Tim's desk.

"I'm sorry! I won't ask anything else!" Tim added.

Joe picked up the phone, "Because this is the first time, I will not hurt her any more," He said, then added, "Only say good things!"

"Okay! Okay. I'm sorry. Just, let me talk to her."

Joe handed the phone back to Abby, "Timmy," Was all she said. Her voice was so quiet and she was trying to catch her breath.

Tim sat back down, "Abby, I'm so sorry. I didn't-"

"Don't apologize, Tim. Rule six."

"Only you would think about a Gibbs rule at a time like this."

Abby let out a small, forced laugh, "There's no one like me, Timmy."

"Very true," Tim agreed. They were both silent for a moment, then Tim continued, "We will find you Abby. I promise."

"I know that... I just wish I was there to help you find me."

Tim sighed, "Yeah, me too."

"Times up," Joe interrupted. He grabbed the phone from Abby and quickly hung up.

Silence drifted over the room as Tim hung up the phone.

Tony was the first to speak, "Well, come on, Probie! What happened?"

Tim needed to get out of there. He needed to get away. Everyone was crowded around him. He just couldn't handle it right now. It was too much. Having to hear Abby so... so sad and so scared. And he was the reason she was hurt. He might as well have thrown the punches himself.

Tim looked down at the pajamas he was still wearing, "I... I need to go change clothes. I'll be back in an hour." He stood up and walked out of the room, gently pushing Tony out of his way in the process.

"Anything from the trace?" Gibbs asked to no one in particular.

Ziva, who was closest to Tim's computer, looked at the screen and sighed, "Nothing."

* * *

**I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying this story so far! I was terrified that everyone would hate it. Thank you all so much for the reviews:) They mean a lot to me!**


	4. The Longer She Is There

Exactly one hour later Tim returned, now wearing more work appropriate clothes. He walked straight to his desk and sat down. He didn't say a word and acted as though he didn't see Tony and Ziva staring at him.

"We started a search on men who had been tortured and later killed themselves," Ziva said to inform Tim... and to break the silence.

Tim nodded but didn't look up from his computer, "How far back are you going in the search? We have no idea how old this guy is, how old his brother may have been, or how long ago it happened. It's pointless."

Tony and Ziva glanced at each other. The same thing was clearly lying on both of their minds. Concern, for both Abby and Tim. He didn't seem at all like the Tim they had always known.

"Well, it is something," Ziva said with a shrug, "It is more than we had to go on before."

Tim sighed, "Yeah." He got up from his desk and walked off.

"He is taking this very hard," Ziva said to Tony.

"We all are."

"Yes," She agreed, "I guess some of us just hide it better than others."

Tony nodded, "I guess so."

* * *

Fornell and Gibbs had gone on a much needed coffee break. They had all been working so hard, but had absolutely nothing to go on.

"We need to be on a rotation," Fornell began, "That way someone will always be working on the case."

"Gee, Tobias, I hadn't thought of that."

"Snappy!" Both Fornell and Gibbs took a sip of their coffee, "You're worried about her aren't you?"

Gibbs glared at him, "Ya think?"

Fornell sighed, "You know what I mean. Abby's been in trouble before, but somehow this time is different to you... You think he'll really hurt her like he said?"

Gibbs remained silent for a moment, then replied, "I think we need to find her before I know the answer to that."

* * *

"Are you hungry?" Joe asked Abby as he entered the room with a small plate in his hand.

"N... No," She replied. At that exact moment her stomach growled loudly.

Joe placed the plate on the tray that he had rolled in earlier, "Are you lying to me, Miss Sciuto? I don't like liars."

"I... I don't feel like eating." That was true. She may have been starving but the last thing she felt like doing right now was eating.

"Well, whether you feel like it or not, you're going to eat. It's not nice to waste food." He placed the tray in front of her. It was one piece of completely burnt toast. Just looking at it made Abby nauseous.

"Go on, eat up," He said with a smile on his face.

Abby just stared at it. She knew that if she ate it she would end up vomiting, and she didn't want to know how he might react to that.

"I said eat it!" He exclaimed as he suddenly became angry.

"I... I can't," She replied. She glanced up at him for a moment but quickly turned her eyes back to the food.

"What do you mean?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"I'll... I'll get sick."

He grabbed Abby by the throat and forced her to look up at him, "I don't care if you throw up all over yourself, you are going to eat! Do you understand me?"

"Y... Yes. I understand."

"Good," He said as let go of her, "Now eat!"

Abby slowly picked up the toast and took a bite. It was the most disgusting thing she had ever tasted. Who could enjoy the taste of burnt toast? He watched happily as she struggled to take each bite.

"I've read quite a bit about the people you work with at NCIS. They seem to be good at their jobs."

"They're the best," Abby replied quietly.

"Hmm. Then they should be able to find you soon. I guess we'll know how much they care about you by how long it takes them to get to you."

"Or how long it takes them to shoot you," She mumbled under her breath.

He pretended he didn't hear her, "I take it you are close to your co-workers?"

She cringed as she swallowed another bite, "They're my family."

Joe remained silent as Abby finished up on the last couple of bites of the toast. The after taste was horrible, but she felt as though she would be able to keep it down.

Joe walked up to her and smiled at her for a moment. She tried to look away from him but she couldn't. He suddenly took one hand and pried her mouth open then stuck two fingers down her throat.

Her eyes widened and she began to gag and soon she was puking all over herself. The pajamas she had been wearing since the night before were now covered in vomit.

* * *

It was nearing 8pm. Gibbs had sent Tony and Tim home for the night. They had all been up and working since four that morning and, out of the five of them, Tony and Tim handled lack of sleep the worst.

Tim was more than upset when he heard he was being sent home. Sure he was tired, but the last thing he wanted to do was sleep. Gibbs had to reassure him that the case would be worked on all through the night and he could return at 8am for his and Tony's shift. Then, when that didn't work, Gibbs made it an order. He either went home or went down to autopsy to lay down.

* * *

Tim slammed his apartment door as a rush of anger came over him. He quickly walked into his living room area in search of something to throw. He needed to release the stress that had been building up in him all day.

The first thing he laid his eyes on was his typewriter. Without a moments thought, he picked it up and threw it against the wall. He then hurried over to his bookshelf and began throwing every book as hard as he could, until he ran out of books to throw.

Now tired, and out of breath, he sunk to the ground. His back was leaning against the now empty bookshelf. As he looked around his extremely messy apartment, he was glad that Sarah had wanted to keep Jethro for a few days. He couldn't have thrown such a big fit had his dog been there.

_'How am I going to do this? How am I going to talk to her every day?'_ He wondered, _'What if I say something wrong again? What will he do to her next time?'_

_______________

* * *

_

It was dark. Abby could just barely see. She looked down at her pajamas. They smelled horrible, but that wasn't what she was thinking about. She remembered when she got them. She had forced Tim to go shopping with her one day. They both saw the pajamas at the same time. Black, with little skull and crossbones on them. Underneath each skull and crossbones was the saying 'Love Kills Softly' written in red. She loved them. He surprised her when they got up to the cashier and he bought them for her... She remembered that day like it was yesterday, when in fact it had been almost eight years ago.

Just thinking about it made her begin to cry. She was alone, chained to a bed, and covered in vomit. She wished she could be with her team. She wished she could see them and give them a hug.

_'They'll find me soon... I hope.'_

* * *

"Jethro, you startled me!" Ducky said as he turned around from his desk to see Gibbs sitting on one of the autopsy tables. "How long have you been there?"

"Just got here, Duck. Why are you here this late?"

"Finishing up on paperwork. Mr. Palmer is out of town for the week so I have more to do than usual. May I ask why you are down here? It's not that I mind, but-"

"I saw your light on. I needed to ask you a question."

Ducky nodded and took a couple of steps closer to Gibbs, "Ask away."

"How's she gonna be, Duck?"

"Who? Abigail?"

"Yeah. You heard that guy. He wants revenge. He wants to torture her."

Ducky sighed, "Yes. In fact, I fear that he already is. There are many forms of torture, as you know, Jethro. I wouldn't doubt that he wants to torture her not only physically, but mentally as well."

The last thing Gibbs wanted to do was think of Abby being tortured in any way. And, although it had only been one day, he feared that this was going to be harder than any other case. "Which brings me back to my question... How's she gonna be?"

"That depends on how long she is there, Jethro. We, well Timothy, will only be with her for three minutes a day. As for the rest of the time, I won't have any clue what is happening to poor Abigail... I can not speak for how her state of mind may become."

Gibbs stood up to leave, "But?"

"But, the longer she is there, the worse it will be."

* * *

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews! You guys and gals are amazing to me!... Ugh, "gals" is one of my pet peeves. I have no idea why I just used it. **  
**Anyway, I'm glad you are all enjoying the story so far. I'm not sure if I said this before, but I just wanted everyone to know that this will not be a quick/rushed story. I have no idea how many chapters it will be or anything like that... So, I hope you all like possibly long stories! :)**

**Oh, also I have been known to accidentally mix up words. For some reason I put "aloud" instead of "allowed" in my last chapter (I fixed it) and I used "drug" instead of "dragged" (also fixed), so if you see anything like that PLEASE let me know! Thanks :)**


	5. The Promise And The Pocketknife

Tim sat at his desk, impatiently waiting for the phone to ring. He kept glancing at his watch, waiting for it to be 9am.

Everyone else was waiting at their desks as well. Gibbs, Ziva and Fornell wouldn't be leaving until after the phone call.

Ziva got up and walked over to Tony's desk, "What are you thinking about?" She asked.

"That the theater picked a really bad week to have a silent movie marathon."

Ziva rolled her eyes, "Do not kid, Tony. I am serious."

"So am I." When Ziva wouldn't go away, or stop staring at him, he sighed, "I am also thinking about Abby, and the many ways I want to kill the freak who has her. And I'm trying to convince myself that I'm not hungry... See, Ziva, I'm multi-thinking."

"I did not think that was possible for you." She began to walk back to her desk.

"Now who's the kidder?" Tony asked with a smirk.

Ziva looked back at him mischievously, "Again, Tony, I am serious."

Tim looked at his watch, again. It was 8:59. He took a deep breath, _'One minute. Only one minute.'_

* * *

Joe had just finished taking off another one of the chains that held Abby. This one came off of her ankle. "Are you ready?" He asked as he placed the chain on the floor.

"For what?" She asked nervously.

"To talk to Timothy. I am going to call him now." He took the cell phone out of his pocket and began dialing.

* * *

Tim now had his eyes focused on the phone. He was staring at it so hard that it seemed as though he could burn a hole through it. It was so quiet in the bullpen that he was slightly startled when the phone began to ring.

"Hello!" He answered quickly.

"Your three minutes begin now."

Joe handed the phone over to Abby.

"Hi, Timmy," Abby began, trying to sound as positive as she could.

"Hey, Abby. How are you?"

She looked down at her ruined pajamas, "...Same as yesterday. How's my search going?" She asked with a forced laugh.

He didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to tell her that they had nothing. "We're all working really hard. Don't worry, Abbs. We'll find you soon."

"I know, Timmy." They were both silent for a moment, neither of them knowing what to say. Tim was afraid to ask questions, and Abby was just afraid.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" She asked, to break the silence.

He wondered if he heard her right, "What?"

"Have you eaten breakfast?" She repeated.

"Uh... No, I haven't." Tim hadn't realized until then that he actually hadn't eaten since he and Abby shared the popcorn two nights ago.

"Timmy, you know breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"

"I know, Abbs."

"Then you better go eat once we hang up!"

"Abbs, I don't-"

"Promise me, Tim."

Tim didn't reply at first.

"Tim!"

He sighed, "Okay, I promise."

"What do you promise?"

"I promise I will eat breakfast when we hang up."

Everyone in the bullpen looked confused. Breakfast was an odd topic of conversation for a person who had been kidnapped... But then again, it _was_ Abby.

"Time's up," Joe interrupted. He grabbed the phone from Abby and took it off speaker. "Do you want to know my favorite kind of ice cream? It's rocky road. Goodbye."

Tim furrowed his brow and hung up.

"How is she?" Tony asked.

Tim shrugged, "I... I don't know. But, Joe did give me a clue at the end like he said he would... I think."

"What?"

"He told me that he likes rocky road ice cream."

"That is not much of a clue," Ziva added.

"No, it's not," Tim agreed, "I'm not sure what he's talking about. That is if he even knows."

Gibbs sighed, "Ziva, Fornell, go home," He began, "I am too. We'll be back at eight tonight to relieve you two."

Tony nodded, "Yes, Boss."

Ziva and Fornell left, but Gibbs stayed behind a moment longer. He walked over to Tim's desk, "Did he hurt her?" He asked in a whispered tone.

Tim shook his head, "No. Not while I was on the phone with her."

"Okay," He patted Tim on the shoulder, "Good job, McGee."

* * *

Ten minutes later Tim remembered something, "Tony, I gotta go. I'll be back in fifteen minutes." He stood up and began walking to the elevator.

"Why are you McLeaving me, McGee?" Yes, even during times like these Tony still made up "Mc" nicknames. It had become so natural to him that he just couldn't stop himself.

"To keep a promise," Tim called back.

* * *

"That was nice of you," Joe said to Abby with a smile.

"What was?" She asked as she glared at him.

"You making sure that Timothy ate. It is strange that you would be worried about him ...when you're the one who's going to die."

"Timmy cares about me, they all care about me, and I care about all of them."

"You do?" Joe questioned, "Then why is it that you didn't ask if any of the others had eaten breakfast? Actually, you didn't ask about the others at all."

"We... We only had three minutes to talk."

"If you really cared then you would have asked about them first." Joe pulled a pocketknife out of his jeans, "I told you that I hated liars. Why are you lying to me?" He asked. His voice was calm... too calm. He rolled up her pajama pants as he waited for an answer.

"I... I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You obviously don't care about them, so why do you lie and say that you do?"

"I... I do care about them!" She replied, her voice becoming higher as he brought the knife closer and closer to her leg.

"If you cared," He began as he slid the knife across her leg, causing her to scream, "Then you would have asked about them." He ignored her screams and cut her a second time. The cuts weren't deep, but they were painful, "You would have asked about Jethro, and Ziva, and Anthony, and Dr. Mallard." He raised the knife and looked her in the eyes, "You don't care. Say it! Tell the truth! Say you don't care!"

"She gritted her teeth, trying to hide the pain, "I do care!"

Again he brought the knife to her leg, slicing across it for the third time, "Say you don't care!"

"I do care!"

A fourth slice, "Say it!"

"No!"

Fifth, "Say it!"

Tears streamed down Abby's face, "Stop it! I don't care!"

Sixth. It was smaller than the others, but no less painful, "Who don't you care about? Say their names!"

"Ziva, Tony, Ducky and Gibbs! I don't care about them!"

* * *

**I know it's short, but I have been up since 6:30 and I've been painting my grandma's bathroom all day. I just got home for a short break before going back with my dad, so I decided to add another chapter now.**

** Thank you all for the reviews! You have all calmed my nerves about writing an NCIS story :)**


	6. The Face In The Mirror

Three more days passed and the team still had no leads.

Tim had been given three more clues: '#1: If you look close, you'll realize she's not that far.' At first Tim thought it was a good clue, until Ziva reminded him that they don't know how far 'not that far' is. It could be two miles or twenty miles. They had no way of knowing.

'#2: Inside, there is no day or night.'

'#3:Sometimes people have big dreams, but when they finally go after those dreams, they fail almost instantly.'

Tim tried to remain positive, although it wasn't easy. He had talked to Abby for five straight days and she hadn't been hurt during the last four conversations. They had been given four clues total, and he was bound and determined to find the connection and get Abby back. That was his attitude... on the outside.

The inside was a different story. Each day he heard Abby's voice changing, little by little. She became less positive as each day went by. She never said that she had given up hope, or that she didn't think they'd find her, but she stopped asking about the search. She never asked about anyone else on the team, besides Tim. It may not seem like a big deal if she was anyone else, but Tim knew that Abby loved the whole team so he found it very odd that she never asked about them. He would mention them to her, but she would never respond. He only got to be with her for three minutes a day. He had no idea what was happening for the other twenty-three hours and fifty-seven minutes. All he knew is that she seemed to be going downhill very fast... And that scared him.

* * *

Fornell had gone back to his own job at the FBI. He would have stayed longer, but his boss called him and threatened to fire him if he didn't return. To be honest, he had helped as much as he could. There was really nothing else he could do. And Gibbs knew that if something came up where he did need Fornell, he would be a phone call away.

* * *

Joe would come in to the room multiples times every day. He would repeat himself over and over. _"Jethro doesn't care about you. Anthony doesn't care about you. Ziva doesn't care about you. Dr. Mallard isn't even slightly worried about you. Wouldn't they try to talk to you if they cared? They're known for breaking rules, however they don't even try to speak to you. Timothy only mentions them because he feels he needs to. Just to make you think they care. But, you know better than that."_

He said it so much. The same things over and over again, causing her to overanalyze everything. _'He's wrong. He's wrong... But, what if he's not? What if they don't care? It's never taken them this long to find someone. What if they want me to die? He's right... No! No he's not... But, what if he is?'_

* * *

Abby was curled up in the back corner of the room. Her last chain had been taken off the day before. She tried to escape twice in twenty minutes time, and neither time ended well. Her back, arms, and legs were covered in bruises from where he slung her against the wall both times she tried to get out. The first time he only pushed her back once, the second time she wasn't so lucky. It was twenty minutes of being pushed, shoved, and yelled at.

Once he finished hitting her, she crawled to the corner and sat with her knees up close to her chest. He left the room for a moment, then returned with a rope. He tightly tied the rope around her ankles, saying that once she learned not to leave, he would remove them. The smallest movements make the rope dig deeper into her ankles, causing them to bleed.

Afterwards, once she was at her weakest point, he forced her to say that Gibbs didn't care about her. She didn't believe it at first... Then she didn't want to believe it. The first few times she said it she thought to herself,_ 'It's not true. Just say the words, but know it's not true.'_ That lasted for a little bit, but now she wasn't sure what she believed.

* * *

Tim woke up from another restless night. Ever since Abby went missing he could only doze off for about five minutes at a time. Then he would be up for fifteen minutes, going back and forth all night. There was always that split second every time he woke up where everything was okay. Then he would remember what was going on, and the churning in the pit of his stomach would return.

He and Tony got to work at the same time. They rode in the elevator together, neither of them saying a word. Tension had been growing higher and higher between the whole team. They didn't get angry at each other, or tell each other off, but each day became quieter than the last.

At exactly 9am the phone rang. Tim sighed and picked it up, "Hello," He said with no enthusiasm.

Joe replied with the same thing he said each morning, "Your three minutes begin now." He placed the phone on speaker and handed it to Abby.

"Hi, Tim," She said quietly.

Tim's heart fell. She sounded so distant. There didn't seem to be much "Abby" left in her, "Hey, Abbs," He took a deep breath, "How are you doing?"

Out of nowhere Joe came up to Abby and kicked her.

She screamed and dropped the phone.

"Abby!" Tim panicked, "What are you doing to her?"

"I am so sick of you asking that question!" Joe replied angrily, "Every day you ask the same thing!" He kicked her again, harder this time. She screamed even louder .

Tim stood up and began pacing back and forth, phone still up to his ear.

Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs were glancing back at one another, not quite sure what to do.

"Stop hurting her!" Tim yelled.

"Rules have changed!" Joe began, "If you say anything I don't like, I will hurt her! It doesn't have to be a question. It doesn't matter what it is! If you annoy me, I hurt her! And if you hang up, I kill her! Understand?"

Tim rubbed his forehead.

Joe got out his pocketknife and began slicing the top of Abby's arm, cutting through her pajama shirt.

"Ah! Please, stop it!" Abby begged.

"O... Okay, okay!" Tim exclaimed, "I understand!"

"Good! Abby will talk to you tomorrow. Goodbye!"

Joe hung up before Tim could say another word. The last thing her heard was Abby's whimpers in the background.

* * *

Joe walked out of the room to get some bandages and wrap Abby's arm up.

Abby laid still on the cold floor. Blood ran down her feet from the ropes that bound her ankles. Her whole body felt like it could shatter at any moment. New bruises were forming next to the old ones, making her look multi-colored.

She laid there, tears rolling down her face. She was in so much pain... And she was so cold. She couldn't stop chilling. Everything hurt. She had no one. No one to help her. She only heard Tim calling out for Joe to stop. Why not the others? Were they not worried? Had the rest of them stopped trying to find her? All these questions raced through her mind.

* * *

Tim hung up his phone. He quickly wiped away the tear that had fallen from his eye, hoping no one else noticed.

"What did he do to her, McGee?" Gibbs asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"She... She was screaming... He... There was nothing I could do! I couldn't stop it!" He said, trying to defend himself to Gibbs and the rest of the team.

"I know, McGee," Gibbs replied. He had never seen Tim look so stressed.

"I... I need to go." Tim hurried out of the bullpen and headed for the bathroom.

Gibbs stood to go after him.

"Boss," Tony called out as he walked over to Gibbs desk, "Can I?" He motioned towards the bathroom.

Gibbs sat back down and nodded, giving Tony the go ahead.

"Thanks, Boss."

* * *

Tim swung open the bathroom door. Thankfully no one was in there. He went to the garbage can and knocked it over, then kicked the wall where the garbage once stood in front of. He turned and saw himself in the mirror. He was the last person he wanted to see, "You should have helped her!" He yelled as he rammed his fist into the mirror, shattering it and cutting his hand in multiple places.

Tony walked into the room, "Whoa, McMoodSwing, what got into you?" He asked.

"Shut up, Tony!"

"You're hand is bleeding," Tony said, casting all joking aside. He grabbed some paper towels and handed them to Tim.

Tim looked down at his hand, "I... I didn't even notice," He replied as he put the paper towels over his cuts.

Tony made a grossed out face, "You're gonna need stitches."

"I'll be fine." Tim looked up from his hand and stared at Tony, "Can you leave me alone now?"

"No," Tony replied, "We need to talk."

"I don't want to talk."

"I don't care. This is tough on you and you need to stop holding it all in until you have to take your anger out on inanimate objects."

"When did you become my therapist?"

"When did you start boxing with mirrors?"

Tim picked up the garbage can with his good hand, and threw the now bloody paper towels into them.

Tony grabbed more paper towels and, once again, handed them to Tim.

"Are you gonna talk?" Tony asked.

Tim shrugged, "What do you want me to say?" He replied, clearly annoyed at Tony's presence. "Do you want me to tell you that every day I dread waking up because I know what I'm gonna have to face? Or that having to be on the phone with Abby for three minutes feels like a lifetime? Do you want me to tell you that when I go home I work on the case until I start dozing off? Is that what you want?"

Tony nodded, "Yes. That's exactly what I want."

Tim sighed, "Tony, I hate this. I hate having to talk to her. I hate having to hear her voice. She doesn't even sound like her anymore. And today... She was screaming so loud, begging him to stop hurting her. And I couldn't help her. I'm the one causing her to get hurt! All I did was ask her how she was doing and he beat the crap out of her. I'm the reason he's hurting her, Tony."

Tony went to talk, but Tim continued.

"And sometimes I start to feel sorry for myself. I don't realize it at first. I'll just think about how tired I am, and how much I want to go to sleep. Then I think about Abby, and everything she's going through, and it makes me angry that I ever thought about myself over her."

When Tony was sure that Tim was finished, he replied, "I getcha, Tim, and I'm gonna go the extra mile and not make any jokes as I speak... You have a right to be tired, and you have a right to want to sleep. Thinking about yourself doesn't mean you care any less about Abby. I couldn't imagine having to talk to her on the phone every day. I would probably be taking it a lot worse than you have. Somehow you've kept pretty calm," He looked around the bathroom, "Until now that is, but it's understandable."

The bleeding on Tim's hand had slowed down some. He, again, threw away the paper towels and got new ones.

"You should have Ducky look at that," Tony added, "And you need stitches."

"I'm not leaving NCIS right now, Tony. I can get stitches after work."

"Okay. But go to Ducky so he can bandage you up. I don't want to look at your bloody hand all day."

"On my way," Tim looked at the mess he had made, "...After I clean up the garbage."

"Don't worry about it."

Tim's eyes widened, "You're gonna do it?"

"Ha! No way. I'm gonna go find the janitor. Now go."

Tim walked to the bathroom door, but before leaving he turned back around, "Thanks, Tony."

"No problem, kid."

* * *

**Long chapter! I guess I'm making up for my last one, which was very small. **

**So, this wasn't how I was originally going to end this chapter, but as I was writing I thought, 'This is a good place to stop', so I stopped. :) It's not a huge cliffhanger or anything, but they can't all end with a gasp haha**

**Thank you all so much for your reviews :) They mean a lot to me! Keep 'em coming (please and thank you :D)!**


	7. The Days Keep Passing

"Hey, Ducky," Tim said as he entered autopsy.

"Hello, Timo- Good Lord! What did you do to your hand?"

"I uh... I got into a fight with a mirror." Tim wouldn't look up. He kept his eyes glued to his hand.

Ducky grabbed some bandages, "I take it the mirror won?"

"More of a tie, I guess."

Ducky patted his hand on one of the autopsy tables, "Come, sit. I'll bandage it for you."

Tim sat down and Ducky carefully took hold of his hand to check the damage, "You're going to need stitches, Timothy."

"After work. I just need something to tie me over until then."

"That I can do." Ducky wet some paper towels and grabbed a stool to sit on, then returned to Tim's side, "Would you like to tell me why you decided to get into a fight with a mirror?" He asked as he began to clean around Tim's cuts.

"Uh, it's a long story." Tim winced in pain as Ducky worked on him.

"Sorry, Timothy, my patients usually don't respond to my touch."

Tim let out a small laugh, "It's alright, Ducky."

Ducky glanced up at Tim and noticed the sadness in his eyes, "You know that no one blames you for what happened? Well, besides yourself of course."

For the first time since entering autopsy, Tim looked Ducky in the eyes, "Not hiding it too well, am I?"

Ducky smiled, "A for effort, my boy."

* * *

Gibbs was still sitting at his desk when Tony returned to the bullpen. Ziva had already left to go home.

"How is he?" Gibbs asked.

"Let's just say I hope you don't plan on looking at yourself in the bathroom anytime soon."

Tony noticed Gibbs furrowed eyebrows, "Let me rephrase."

"Good idea," Gibbs agreed.

"His fist connected with the bathroom mirror. Bathroom mirror is now shattered to pieces, and McGee is down with Ducky getting his hand wrapped up."

Gibbs wasn't sure how to reply, so he didn't. He couldn't blame Tim. Heck, he had done almost the exact same thing the day before. Except, it was a half built boat instead of a mirror, and a hammer instead of his hand.

Tony returned to his desk and Gibbs got up to leave.

Gibbs waswalking by Tony's desk, headed to the elevator, when Tony stopped him.

"Boss?"

"Yeah?"

"I..." Tony shook his head, "Never mind."

"No, come on. What is it?"

Tony sighed and leaned forward in his chair, "I can't really speak for Abby's state of mind, but by how Tim is reacting... it can't be good."

Gibbs nodded for Tony to continue.

"What if we're too late? What if Abby's too far gone?"

"She's strong," Gibbs replied, "We'll find her before it gets to that point."

"But, what if she's already at that point?"

Gibbs gave Tony his annoyed look, "Do your job and find her, DiNozzo! I'll be back at eight."

"Yes, Boss." Tony quickly got back to work as Gibbs angrily exited the building.

* * *

Three more days passed. Three more times of Tim and Abby talking on the phone. Three more times of Tim having to listen as Abby got beat up by Joe.

Tim barely slept at all anymore. Every time he would close his eyes he could hear Abby's cries for help. He could hear her screaming and begging for the pain to stop.

She had even begun to call out to Tim as she was being hurt. She would cry out his name, asking him to help her. That was the worst. He didn't even have to close his eyes to hear that. It seemed to be on repeat in his head.

Guilt plagued him. He was the reason she was being hurt. He might as well have been the one throwing the punches, kicking her, cutting her, screaming at her... torturing her.

During those three days, the first beating lasted five minutes. The second day was ten minutes, and the third day was eighteen.

Tim looked horrible. He was barely eating, so he looked painfully thin. He wasn't sleeping, so underneath his eyes were dark and baggy. He never smiled. Tony would try to make him, but it wouldn't work. Tony couldn't even seem to annoy Tim. No, Tim was in lost in his own little world now. The only time he spoke was when he talked to Abby, or when he was asked a direct question. He seemed to be going downhill just as quickly as Abby.

* * *

Abby was lying down in the back of the room. She was covered in bruises. There wasn't one spot on her arms that didn't have a bruise or a cut... or both. Her legs were the same way, as was her back... However, it was her mind that seemed to have the most damage.

_'I bet they've stopped looking for me,' _She thought,_ 'Only Tim is still looking for me... No, they all care. They're my family. Family? They're not family. They're just people I work with that pretend they like me so they'll get what they want. Did they do this to me? No! Stop that! That's ridiculous. You love Ducky, and Ziva, and Tony, and Gibbs. Gibbs doesn't care! Ducky doesn't care! Ziva doesn't care! Tony doesn't care! Yes they do!... No!... Yes!'_

She couldn't stop it. She knew it was wrong to think of them that way, but she couldn't stop. It was as though her brain was messed up. Like she now had a defect. The worst part is that she realized it, but she couldn't make it go away.

Joe entered the room. "It's time," He said in a cheerful voice. He got out his phone and called Tim's number.

Tim answered and didn't say a word.

"Your three minutes begin now." He laid the phone down beside Abby.

"Timmy," She whispered. She didn't have the strength to talk any louder.

"Hi, Abby," He replied.

"Don't talk," Abby said before Tim could get another word out. She didn't sound angry or upset, just tired.

"Wha-"

"I just... I just want to hear you breathe. It... It'll be like when I would... listen to your heart beat."

Tim couldn't help the tears that fell from his eyes. He no longer cared if the rest of the team was watching, "Okay, Abby."

She closed her eyes and listened closely at every breath that Tim took. Tim did the same thing with her.

* * *

"Thank you," Abby said when she knew that the three minutes were almost up.

Joe took the phone back, "Time is a valuable thing, Timothy. Goodbye."

Tim hung up.

"Did you get a clue, McGee?" Ziva asked.

Tim nodded, "Time is a valuable thing."

There was a moment of silence, then Tim suddenly stood up and threw his monitor on the floor, causing the other agents to jump in surprise.

"McGee!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"This is so stupid!" Tim yelled as his eyes danced around the room, never focusing on anything, "Those ridiculous clues that mean nothing! Forcing me to listen to him slowly kill Abby! All of this is insane! I'm so sick of it! I can't!... I can't keep doing this! I-" Tim suddenly stopped. He sat down to begin to look something up, but remembered his monitor was lying on the ground.

"Move," He said to Tony as he made his way to his desk.

"Why?"

"Just move!"

Tony got up and out of the way, making an 'I'm so confused' face at Ziva. She shrugged, not having any idea what might be going on in his head either.

"What are you doing?" Gibbs asked.

Tim didn't reply. He just kept typing.

"McGee, What are you doing?" Gibbs repeated, more demanding this time.

"I think I know where she is."

* * *

**Now that's a cliffhanger :) haha **

** I just have to say that you guys are the best reviewers! I'm not just saying that to get more reviews, I mean it. You all make me happy when I'm sad, and happier when I'm already happy :D Thank you all so much!**


	8. The Factory And The Car

"What?" Tony asked in shock.

Ziva walked over to Tony's desk, "What do you mean, McGee?"

Tim continued typing as he replied, "It... It just came in my head. I might be wrong."

"The answer just popped into your head while you were throwing a temper tantrum?" Tony questioned.

"Uh-huh."

"Need help?" Gibbs asked. He remained calm, not wanting to get his hopes up just yet.

"No, I just... I need everyone to back off and shut up." Tim tried very hard to not sound like a jerk... it didn't work.

Gibbs almost got up to give him a well deserved, and probably long overdue, head slap. But, he decided to spare him seeing that Tim had been under enormous pressure, and because he may know where Abby is.

Ziva returned to her desk, and Tony walked over to Tim's to sit. The bullpen was completely silent for a little over a minute, although it seemed like an eternity.

"Okay, I got it." Tim stood up and walked over to the plasma, the rest of the team quickly following suit. He grabbed the clicker, brought a picture of a factory up on the screen, and began, "I remembered reading an article about eight months ago. It was about this woman who had always dreamed of owning a chocolate factory-"

"Who is she? Mrs. Wonka?" Tony interrupted.

Tim quickly gave him a glare that could kill, and Gibbs gave Tony a harder-than-usual head slap.

"Sorry," Tony squeaked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Anyway," Tim continued, "It turned out that she spent most of the money she had saved, building the factory. Two months ago, after only six months in in business, the factory closed down. She filed bankruptcy and no ones been inside since."

He pressed the clicker again and all of the clues popped up.

_#1: Rocky road ice cream._

_#2: If you look close, you'll realize she's not that far._

_#3: Inside, there is no day or night._

_#4: Sometimes people have big dreams, but when they go after those dreams, they fail almost instantly._

_#5: Time is a valuable thing._

"That goes with clue four," Tony said.

"Yes," Ziva agreed, "But, what about all of the other clues?"

Tim nodded and brought a map onto the screen, "The factory is on Rockford Road, that goes with clue one. Ice cream had nothing to do with it. It's only about twenty minutes from here, so it's not that far. And look," He zoomed in on the map. About half of a mile from the factory was another store, "It's called 'Hands of Time' and they sell grandfather clocks. I saw that as I was looking up the factory."

Gibbs headed back to his desk, "That's enough for me. Gear up!"

"Don't we need a warrant, Boss?" Tony asked.

"Call on the way," Gibbs replied. "Where are the keys?" He asked in a hurry.

"I've got 'em," Tim replied, he was already in the elevator waiting for the others.

* * *

Never had they ever known Tim to drive above the speed limit. He rarely ever drove at all when they were out working on cases.

"Tim! You're like Ziva on steroids!" Tony exclaimed from the back seat.

"You want to get there don't you?"

"Yes, we do, McGee," Ziva answered, "But we want to get there alive."

Gibbs was up front with Tim, and even he was a little worried about his driving. But, he didn't say anything... Until Tim almost rammed into a school bus, "Jeez, McGee! Slow down or you're pulling over and I'm driving!"

"Please, please do that!" Tony begged.

Tim responded by going from a horrifying speed, down to a terrifying speed.

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna puke," Tony quietly said to Ziva as he held his stomach.

"He is doing things even I have never tempted," Ziva replied as she watched in amazement as the cars flashed by.

Tony held tightly onto the door handle, "Are you sure we haven't passed it already, McGoo? Cause at the speed you're goin' you might just not know that we already passed it and-"

"I didn't pass it," Tim responded, clearly annoyed.

"How do you know? You're going so fast that y-"

"I didn't pass it, Tony! I know where I'm going!" Tim snapped at him, "We're still ten minutes away!" He pressed down harder on the gas, returning to the horrifying speed.

"Okay, okay."

"Tim!" Gibbs exclaimed, becoming angrier by the moment, "Slow. Down. Now."

What they didn't know is that, in his head, Tim could hear Abby. She was calling out his name, just like she had done so many times during their phone conversations. He could hear all the screams of pain that he felt responsible for. The cries he couldn't stop. It got louder each minute. Yes, he knew that the rest of the team wanted to find Abby as well. But no one _needed_ to find her as much as he did. No one else had to hear her, and no one else had to talk to her. They all knew that Abby was being hurt, but they didn't have to hear it. The sounds didn't replay in their heads all day.

* * *

A few minutes later they turned onto Rockford Road. It was an old, unpaved road with nothing but trees for about a quarter of a mile.

Tim slowed down as they got closer to the factory.

Tony began to take long, deep breaths.

"Are you alright?" Ziva asked.

He nodded, "I think my heart is just returning to my chest now."

Tim parked in a well hidden area near the factory, and they all quietly exited the car, not wanting anyone to know they were there... If anyone else _was_ there.

Tim immediately headed for the front door.

"Wait," Gibbs said quietly. He looked back to Tony, "Did the warrant come through?" Usually he wouldn't care about a warrant, but he couldn't chance anything this time. Not when Abby was involved.

"I called. They said they'd call back... But they haven't."

"Well, call again!"

"Calling, Boss."

Tony dialed the number and Gibbs quickly grabbed the phone from him, "I'll do it," He said and walked off to a spot with better reception.

Ziva sighed and sat back inside of the car, leaving the door open. Tony came and sat on the other side. If it was one thing this team hated doing, it was waiting.

Ziva brought out her gun and began looking over it, making sure everything was ready. "I have thought of many ways I could torture this man over the past ten days," Ziva said to Tony.

"You and me both." They were both silent for a moment before Tony continued, "I didn't know you were that upset though."

"Did you think I do not care about Abby?"

"No, I don't mean it like that. You just haven't talked about it much."

"I prefer not to... I just wonder that, if we feel so strongly about wanting to injure this this man... How does McGee feel? Should he even be going inside with us?"

Tony shook his head, "I don't know... Where is he anyway?" Tony looked back to where Gibbs was... No McGee in sight.

Ziva stepped out of the car and began looking around as well, "Tony!" She called out as her eyes froze at one spot.

"What?"

She nodded in the direction she was staring at, "Look."

Tony got out of the car. The factory door was halfway open.

Tim was inside, alone, and possibly with a man who had been forcing him to listen as he tortured Abby, _his best friend_, for over a week, "Oh my God."

* * *

**Wow! I can't believe all the reviews I got on the last chapter :) Thank you all so much! I wait and read them every night, right before I go to bed, and I love them all! You guys are so nice to me :) Lovely people you are, and I give you all a giant Abby sized hug :D Again, I thank you!**


	9. The Voices In Your Head

***We go back a little bit at the beginning of the chapter just to see Tim's POV.**

* * *

Tim couldn't believe his ears. _'Warrant? Who cares about a warrant?' _He thought. He paced back and forth for a moment, cursing his teammates names under his breath for their ability to be so calm.

Abby's voice was growing louder and louder in his head. _'What if he knows we're here? What if he's hurting her right now? What if he kills her before we get the stupid warrant?'_

Tim looked at the factory and took a deep breath, "Screw it," He whispered to himself. He looked back to make sure he wasn't being watched by Tony, Ziva, or Gibbs. When he saw that it was all clear, he pulled out his gun, ran to the factory door, and quickly made his way inside.

The main part of the factory was wide open. Tim looked around and noticed three doors on both the left and right side of the building. He only had a moment to decide which way to go. He chose left.

Tim opened the first door. It was a small office area with nothing but a desk and some paper lying around.

Next he opened the second door. It was another office with another desk and more paper.

The third door opened to a long hallway. There were four doors on the left and three on the right. Tim began going to each door, listening for any noises.

* * *

Tony ran over to Gibbs, "Boss!"

"They put me on hold!" Gibbs said angrily.

"Boss, McGee's inside."

"What!"

"Ziva and I were talking and we looked to see where Tim was and Ziva saw that the door to the factory had been opened."

"Crap!" Gibbs hung up and threw Tony's phone back at him, "Let's go!"

* * *

Joe was in the middle of forcing Abby to vomit when he heard a noise. He pushed Abby back and moved towards the door, "No. It's too soon."

Abby gasped for breath, "What?"

"I wasn't talking to you!" Joe walked back over to Abby and grabbed her by her shirt, forcing her to stand. "It doesn't matter. I will win. Do you understand? I will win. You know the truth now. Say it. Say it!"

"Th- They don't care. Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, and Ducky... they don't care."

Joe smiled, "Good." He, once again, pushed Abby back. Her head hit the wall and she dropped to the floor.

* * *

Tim had checked five of the seven doors when he heard a loud thud. He quickly ran to the door that the noise came from and, without a moments thought, broke it down with his leg.

"NCIS! Don't move!"

Joe already had his hands up in surrender. His smile widened, "Hello, Timothy, how are you today?"

Tim cocked his gun, "Shut up!" He looked behind Joe where Abby laid. His heart began to pound even harder than it already was, "You killed her!"

"Did I? I don't think she's dead. Why don't you come over here and find out."

"Shut up!"

"Or what? You'll shoot me?" Joe shook his head, "If you could shoot me, then you would have already." He took a step closer to Tim, "I own you. Every day you have done as I said. I tell you when to be by your phone. I tell you what you can and can't say. You hear my voice all the time. When you try to sleep, when you try to work, when you try to eat. It doesn't matter. I'm always there, in the back of your mind," He took another step closer.

"Stop it!" Tim warned.

Suddenly Tony appeared at the door, gun drawn.

"Hello," Joe said to him.

"Don't come in!" Tim commanded.

"Tim, what are you doing?" Tony asked.

"What I have to do! He has to die!"

Joe turned his attention back to Tim, "When you don't hear my voice, you hear Miss Sciuto's. Her screams echo in your head. No one else understands. Everyone tries to help you, but they really can't. They can't because you know you're the reason Miss Sciuto went through so much pain. You're the one who said the wrong things. You're the one who forced me to hurt her. You're the reason she screamed and cried-"

"Don't listen to him, McGee!" Tony interrupted as tears began falling from Tim's eyes.

"You're the reason for it all. It's your fault, Timothy. Your fault. You might as well of been the one to do it. You're no better than me. You're no different from me. You're just as bad. You caused the pain, Timothy. _You_ did."

"Tim, listen to me," Tony began, "You are not him. You are nothing like him. You're a good person, Tim." Just then Ziva and Gibbs entered the hallway. They had gone to check the right side of the factory, while Tony took the left. Tony put out his hand to stop them from coming any closer. "You know that he deserves to go to prison. He'll go away for a long time. You know that, Tim. You know that shooting him won't make anything better."

"Oh please! I'll win. I will win," Joe said with a laugh, "No matter what you do, Timothy, I will win."

Tim began to cry even harder. At any other time he would have been horrified at the fact that he was crying in front of Tony, but right now he didn't care at all, "But... But, Abby. She's... She's d... dead."

"You don't know that," Tony moved up closer to Tim, keeping his gun pointed directly at Joe, "Go check on her. Go check for a pulse. I have my gun on-"

"Joe. Call me Joe," He interrupted with a smile plastered on his face.

"I've got my gun on Joe. Go check on Abby."

Tim remained still for a moment, then slowly handed his gun to Tony. He began to move towards Abby.

"Boss! Ziva!" Tony called out. They hurried in, "Cuff him."

Tim bent down and placed two fingers on Abby's neck, checking for a pulse. He took a deep breath, "She's alive," He said so quietly that the others could just barely hear him.

"Ziva, take him out to the car," Gibbs began, "Then call the paramedics."

Ziva nodded, "Yes, Gibbs."

Tim gently fixed Abby's hair, moving the strands away from her face. He then placed one arm under her back, and the other under her legs.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked as he and Gibbs watched from the door.

Tim picked Abby up, "I'm taking her out of here." He turned around and began walking to the door, "Could you two please move so I can get out?" He said. There was an eerie calm in his voice. He kept his eyes focused on Abby, refusing to look at his coworkers.

They both moved out of the way and Tim left the room.

Tony and Gibbs looked around the room. It smelled horrible. There was old and new vomit all over the floor, and a bucket in the corner that was used as a toilet... It was so cold. There were no windows, no... anything. Nothing to let you know how much time had passed.

"Clue three," Gibbs said after a long silence.

"Which one was that?"

"'Inside, there is no day or night,'" He sighed, "...Let's get out of here."

* * *

When Tim got outside he slowly sat down on the ground, still holding Abby in his arms. "You're safe, Abby," He whispered to her, "You're safe now." He didn't care that she was covered in her own throw up, or that she hadn't been cleaned whatsoever in over a week. That didn't matter. All that mattered is that she was alive.

He stared at her as though he couldn't believe she was truly there. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there on the ground, but the next thing he heard was Gibbs trying to get his attention.

"McGee. McGee!... Tim!"

"Huh? What?" Tim looked up and noticed the paramedics standing in front of him, waiting.

"Let them take her."

"Sorry." Tim stood up with Abby and laid her on the gurney. "I'm sorry. I didn't..." Tim shook his head, "I'm sorry."

Gibbs patted Tim on the shoulder, "Don't apologize." He noticed the look on Tim's face as they rolled Abby away. He looked scared... Almost like he was never going to see her again. Or that she was going to be hurt. It worried Gibbs, but with so much going on he put that worry to the back of his mind, "Ride with her, McGee. She'll need someone she knows to be there when she wakes up."

"Yes, Boss," Tim replied quickly. There was no way he was going to question that order. He ran and got into the ambulance just before it drove away.

Tony walked over to Gibbs, "Just got a phone call... We now have the warrant to search the factory."

Gibbs let out a small laugh and headed back into the factory. The rest of the team had some things they had to finish up there before heading to the hospital.

* * *

Tim sat in Abby's hospital room, waiting for her to wake up. He held onto her hand, gently rubbing his thumb over the top of hers. He had been sitting there for almost two hours.

Abby suddenly began to stir, causing Tim to sit up straight and pay closer attention to her. Her facial expressions and the little noises she was making led Tim to realize she was having a nightmare. He placed his other hand on her forehead, "It's okay, Abby. You're safe. It's okay."

Abby's eyes jerked open and she gasped.

"Calm down, Abbs. It's okay. You're in the hospital. You're safe."

She looked at him for a moment, just silently staring in disbelief, "T... Timmy?"

Tim smiled, "Yeah, it's me. I'm really here."

Abby smiled, but it soon faded and she began to cry, "Timmy," She said through her sobs.

Tim pulled her into a hug, which Abby immediately accepted, "It's okay, Abby. Let it out. It's okay."

She was crying so hard that she was about to hyperventilate, "I can't... believe... you found... me."

* * *

**This was my hardest chapter to write. It was so difficult with everybody being in their different places, then somehow bringing them all together, then putting them in different places again. I hope I pulled it off okay. I would have updated sooner, but my Dad is teaching me how to drive now so my afternoons that I used to spend writing, I now spend driving :) But no worries, I still have time to write and I have no plans on stopping in the middle of my story (I hate when people do that).**

**On another note: I seriously cannot believe how amazing you guys are. You are so supportive and your reviews mean so much to me. I wish I could send you all to meet the cast of NCIS. Believe me, if I could I would! **


	10. The Hospital And The Doctor

Tim continued to hold her as she cried. He didn't mind it a bit. Her being in his arms let him know she was safe. And, although he didn't know it, Abby felt the same way.

She cried until there seemed to be no more tears left in her eyes.

Tim gently pulled back from her so he could look at her, "The rest of the team will probably be here soon. Are you up for the company?"

_'They don't care. None of them care.'_ Abby quickly forced the bad thoughts to go away. She nodded, "I'll... I'll be fine. It'll be... nice to see them again," She said almost as though it was more of a question than a statement. She smiled, hoping it would make her red, puffy face look a little more cheerful.

Tim noticed her effort and smiled as well.

Before either of them could say anything else, Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs walked into the room.

Tim, who was now standing by Abby's bed, went to move so that the others could get closer to her, but Abby grabbed onto his hand and wouldn't let him go.

"Hey Abbs," Tony said with a smile, "Long time no see."

Ziva glared at him and Gibbs smacked his head.

"Sorry, Boss. Just trying to break the ice."

Abby smiled. She was genuinely happy to see them all, "Hi, Tony."

"How are you feeling?" Ziva asked.

_'They don't really care.'_ "Uh, a little tired... and sore." She looked at the bruises and bandages that covered her arms, "But I don't feel as bad as I look."

"How long have you been awake?"

"Not too long."

Gibbs remained silent as the others continued to talk. Abby was like a daughter to him and he hated to think of what she'd been through. He stared at her, noticing her movements, her voice, and the way she responded to what Tony and Ziva said. He noticed how her hand was clenching Tim's tightly, yet she hadn't asked Tony, Ziva, or himself for a hug. Sure, they hadn't been there for very long, but Abby was Abby... and Abby loved hugs.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of his name being called.

"Gibbs?"

"Yeah," He replied, not completely sure of who said his name.

"Are you okay?" Abby asked.

Gibbs gave her one of his half smiles, "I'm fine. It's just hard to speak with DiNozzo here."

"Hey!" Tony exclaimed in an offended tone, then he shrugged, "It's true."

Abby's eyebrows furrowed as she panned the room, "Where's Ducky?" _'Ducky doesn't care.'_

"He is in the middle of an autopsy," Ziva answered, "We called him and he said he would be here as soon as he could."

Abby looked to Tim with wide eyes, "Autopsy?... Is it... Is it Joe?"

"No," Tim replied quickly, "No, he's not dead."

"But, you do have him right? He didn't get away, did he?" Abby asked, directing all of her questions to Tim.

"He didn't get away, Abby. We got him."

Abby nodded, "Good." She looked down, then back at Tim, "Who... Who found me?"

Tim glanced at Gibbs for a moment, then looked back at Abby, "Are you sure you want to talk about all of this right now, Abbs? We can wait until later."

"Who found me?" Abby asked again.

"You can thank McThinkTank for that one," Tony said, "He remembered some article that he read a long time ago which led us to the factory you were at. Then he was the first one to go in and find where you were inside the factory."

"You... You're the one who found me, Timmy?" Tears began to form in Abby's eyes again. _'Tim is the only one who cares. The rest of them don't care.'_

"I just got lucky," Tim replied, "I couldn't have done it without everyone else."

_'They all care. Of course they care... Or they're just pretending to care... No! Stop thinking that way!'_

"We better get going," Gibbs said as he looked at his watch, "We still have some work to do."

Tony walked up closer to Abby, "Can I give you a hug?"

"Of course."

Tony wrapped his arms around Abby, being careful not to hurt her. She returned the hug using her free arm, still refusing to let go of Tim. "I've missed your hugs," Tony began, "Tim tried to be your surrogate hugger, but that just led to awkward moments."

Tim glared at him, "Ha... ha... ha."

Abby laughed and Tony smiled, "Later, Abbs."

"Bye, Tony."

Ziva came up to her next and gently squeezed her hand, "Goodbye, Abby. I will come to visit you later."

"Okay."

Tony and Ziva walked out of the room together while they waited for Gibbs to say goodbye.

Gibbs bent down and gave her a hug, "Love you, Abby."

"You too, Gibbs," She replied, not entirely sure if she meant it.

Tim tried to let go of Abby's hand, "I've got to go, Abby. I'll see you later, okay?"

"No!" Abby exclaimed suddenly, "No, don't go, Timmy!"

"I... I have to go back to work, Abby," A confused Tim replied as Gibbs stood silently in the doorway, "I'll come back right after work."

"Timmy, please!" Tears began to fall from Abby's eyes.

Gibbs walked over to Tim, "You don't need to come back into work today," He said, trying to make it sound like he was just making a statement. He didn't want Abby to know that he had been listening, "Tony, Ziva, and I have got it covered."

"You sure, Boss?"

Gibbs nodded. "Get some rest, both of you."

Gibbs left the room, and Abby loosened the death grip she had on Tim's hand, but she wouldn't completely let go of him. Without saying another word she closed her eyes, clearly exhausted from everything she had been through, and within a matter of seconds she was asleep.

* * *

Gibbs was stopped by a doctor as he, Tony, and Ziva were walking to the elevator.

"Are you Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" She asked.

"Yes."

"May I speak with you for a moment? It's about Abby Sciuto."

He nodded, "Of course."

She looked to Tony and Ziva, "Could you give us a moment, please?"

"Go wait in the car," Gibbs told them, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

She led Gibbs over to the side of the hall, so they wouldn't be in the way of others. "I'm Dr. Smith," She said as she shook his hand. "Abby has you down as one of her emergency contacts so I just wanted to talk to you about how she's doing."

"How did you know I was Gibbs?"

"Her husband described you to me."

"Her husband?" Gibbs questioned.

She nodded, "Yes. Timothy McGee. He told me what you looked like in case you arrived and I saw you."

Gibbs smirked, which the doctor noticed immediately.

"What? He's... He's not her husband?" She asked.

"The different last names didn't throw you off?"

She sighed, "So many women don't change their last names anymore that I didn't even notice... Family members are the only ones allowed in the rooms with patients when they're brought into emergency," She explained.

Gibbs shrugged, "Eh, they've worked together so much that they're practically married anyway... Now, what about Abby?"

"Oh, yes. Of course," She replied, getting back to the point, "I was told that she had been kidnapped and tortured?"

"Yeah, for ten days."

Dr. Smith nodded, "That's consistent with the different levels of healing on the bruises and cuts... Which there were a lot of. Some have been there for over a week... Others, just a few hours. She's malnourished, but she could be nauseous for a while from the pain medication we gave her, so I want to hold off on food right now. Just until this evening. She'll be feasting on ice chips until then. She is also dehydrated, but we have her on an IV for that. She has no internal bleeding, and her cuts seem to have been taken very well care of... Physically speaking, she should be able to go home within a few days."

That sounded good to Gibbs, but he knew there had to be something more, "But?"

"But, I am worried about her mental state. I haven't had the chance to speak with her yet, but from what I saw... That's not something that you just get over..."

"What are you trying to say?" Gibbs asked, knowing she was holding something back.

She sighed, "I'm trying to say that Abby may never be the same person she once was."

* * *

**I went out driving again yesterday... Got honked at twice, got passed God only knows how many times... Told my Dad I was going to somehow get rich and hire a driver. Please, someone tell me it gets easier? I realize that millions of people drive, but I was shaking like crazy and thought I was gonna die.**

** Anyway, if you want to make me feel better, leave a review. They seriously do always make me feel better. Thanks in advance :)**


	11. The Way He Knows

The elevator ride, and walk to the car, was a silent one for Tony and Ziva. It wasn't until they got into the car that Tony spoke.

"Did something seem..." His voice trailed off as he searched for the right word.

"Different?" Ziva finished for him.

"You noticed too?"

"Abby has been through a traumatic experience, Tony. It is normal for her to not seem normal."

"She looked like she had been crying."

"She probably has been."

It was quiet for a moment, then Ziva continued, "Tony, from my experience, I have gathered that it is probably better to cry then to bottle everything up. If you bottle it up, then you just feel like exploding... It is better this way."

Tony sighed, "Yeah... I don't like it though."

"Neither do I."

* * *

After almost three hours of sleep, Abby began to wake up. Her eyes slowly opened as she stretched. She looked over and saw that Tim wasn't sitting beside her. He was no where in sight. She began to panic. She sat up quickly, "Timmy?... Tim! Tim!" She yelled, becoming louder each time.

He ran out of the bathroom, "What? What's wrong?"

"Where were you?" She asked as tears filled in her eyes.

"I had to go to the bathroom. I was washing my hands."

She looked at his hands and noticed that the hand without the bandage was dripping with water. It was also the first time she noticed the bandage.

Just then a nurse ran into the room, "I heard someone yelling."

"It's alright," Tim said to her, "She just woke up a little confused."

The nurse nodded and left.

The tears fell from Abby's eyes, "I... I thought you had left me."

Tim dried his hand on his pants and walked over to Abby. "I wouldn't leave you, Abbs," He said as he sat down on the bed and took her hand, "You know that."

"I know... I just..." She shook her head, "I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for."

She, once again, looked down to his bandaged hand, "What happened to you?" She asked as she wiped the tears from her face.

He followed her eyes to see what she was looking at. He had completely forgotten that his hand was messed up, "Oh, it's... it's nothing."

Abby stared at him, "I know when you're lying to me, Timmy."

He sighed, "I got a little upset when you were gone and... I punched the mirror in the men's bathroom."

Abby's eyes widened, "You? You're like Mr. Nonviolence."

"Wanna hear something even weirder?"

Abby smiled, "Always."

"Tony was the one who calmed me down."

Abby's smile faded. _'Tony doesn't care.'_

"You okay?" Tim asked.

Abby cleared her throat, "Yeah. I just can't believe Tony was the one to calm you."

"I know... Everything and everyone was different while you were gone."

Abby noticed the Styrofoam cup sitting on the tray a few feet away from her bed. "What's in there?"

"Oh, that's ice. A nurse brought it in just a few minutes before you woke up. Want some?"

She nodded.

He stood up, walked over to the tray, and picked up the cup. "This is gonna sound really cheesy, but-" He paused as he handed her the ice, "I'm glad you're here, Abbs."

Her smile returned, "Me too, Timmy. Me too."

* * *

When the rest of the team arrived back at NCIS they all immediately headed to interrogation.

Director Vance was waiting for them right outside of the door, "You can't all go in there," He said to them.

"Why not?" Tony asked, obviously annoyed by Vance's presence.

"Because, Agent DiNozzo, we need to keep him alive." He looked back and forth at all three of them, "I shouldn't let _any_ of you in that room."

He saw their faces go from annoyed to angry and he couldn't help but smile, "But, I want to keep all of my teeth. One of you goes in, the other two can watch from observation." He walked off, leaving them to decide the rest.

"We'll be in observation, Boss," Tony said, already knowing Gibbs decision.

"Tony. You go."

Or, he thought he knew. Tony and Ziva looked at each other, both clearly confused.

"You want Tony to go?" Ziva asked.

"That's what I said."

"Well... Why?" Tony questioned.

"Would you rather I go get a random agent to interrogate him instead?"

"I'm going," Tony replied quickly. There was no way anyone outside of the team was going to get near this guy.

Tony walked into the room and got into an instant staring contest with Joe. It lasted a couple of minutes, then Joe spoke, "If you are trying to frighten me, it won't work."

"Who said I was doing that? I simply enjoy staring at freaks." It was at that moment that Tony realized he had no idea who this man was. They hadn't wasted time with facial recognition. They had no idea what his real name was, didn't know his past, didn't know where he came from or if the story he told them when he first took Abby was the truth. No, Tony had nothing to go on... However, he didn't let that show.

Joe laughed, "I am not a freak, Anthony."

"You may only call me Special Agent DiNozzo... So tell me, Joe, how did you find out all about me and the rest of the team?"

"It was simple. If you look up NCIS then articles are bound to come up. Most of them contained Jethro- Or, Special Agent Gibbs, if you prefer, and his team. You can find practically everything you want to know about someone just by knowing their name... Even if they do work for the government. I found his house address and I watched. I watched the people who entered, I watched who left. I followed him wherever he went. I got one of those expensive listening devices and I could hear all of his conversations from a mile away. All of your names came up from time to time. Ziva, McGee, DiNozzo, Duck, Vance, and Abby. Honestly, he doesn't speak to many people outside of you all... It's kind of sad."

"So you researched all of us?"

He nodded, "I found out a lot about all of you. You, for instance, worked in the homicide division in Baltimore for two years before starting at NCIS. And a few years ago you were assigned as Special Agent Afloat to the USS Ronald Reagan and later the USS Seahawk. However, you were reassigned back to NCIS not too long afterwards. Special Agent McGee is not only an NCIS Agent, but a writer as well. Under the name Thom E. Gemcity. Special Agent David used to work for Mossad, under her father. Would you like me to continue?"

"I think I get it."

"Now, I did not find out all of this information online. At one time or another I saw each of you with Special Agent Gibbs. Then I would follow you for a while. You can learn a lot about people by going through their garbage, listening to phone conversations, and entering their house while they're at work," He smiled as he noticed Tony's shocked reaction. "Yes, I've been inside all of your houses or apartments. Well, all except for Director Vance. I didn't need him to be a part of this in any way... Did you know that Special Agent Timothy keeps a journal? He's got some secrets too... Well, you all have secrets, that's for sure. But, his is kind of sad. His life is so different from the way he wanted it to be."

Tony sighed, "What about Abby? Why did you take her?"

"I told you why. My brother was tortured many years ago. I wanted to see how long it would take for you to find her. I wanted to see if she would be dead before you could piece it together. I wanted to see if you would win my game."

"Well, we did."

Joe shook his head, "No. You didn't. She may be alive, but I still won. Have you gone to visit her yet? Did she seem a little different to you?"

Tony didn't reply.

"That's what I thought. Here's a little warning for you, this is just the beginning. She knows the truth now. It's drilled inside of her head. At first she'll try to fight it, but she can't. She can pretend for a while, but sooner or later the truth will come out. She will not be the sweet Abby that you once knew... _I. Win._"

Tony took a deep breath and quickly stood up. If he didn't leave the room at that moment, he would have done something that he would regret later... Well, maybe not regret, but he knew it wouldn't be the right thing to do.

He met Ziva and Gibbs out in the hall, "I can't go back in there, Boss. Not right now."

"That's fine. We got a lot of information. We'll talk to him some more tomorrow."

"I didn't even find out what his real name was."

"Tony," Gibbs said calmly, which gained Tony's attention, "You did good."

"Th- Thanks, Boss."

Gibbs sighed, "Its been a long day. Both of you go home and rest."

"It is only the middle of the day, Gibbs," Ziva replied.

"I know. Now go."

As Tony and Ziva left Gibbs in the hallway alone, he thought about going into the interrogation room and slowly killing Joe... Instead, he went to autopsy.

* * *

"Hello, Jethro. How was Abigail?"

"Not really sure, Duck."

"Oh dear. What happened?"

"Nothing at the hospital," He took a deep breath, "...I led him to her."

"What?"

"The man that took Abby. He started out following me. I led him right to her."

"Jethro, you don't think this is your fault, do you?"

"I'm not sure what to think right now."

"I know you are upset, Jethro, but you still seem very calm for just talking to the man who tortured Abigail."

Gibbs shook his head, "I didn't talk to him, Tony did."

"Really?" Ducky replied with widened eyes, "May I ask why?"

Gibbs laughed a humorless laugh, "I would have killed him, or done something close to it. I couldn't have Ziva go in because I'm pretty sure she'd do the same. Tony was the only one I knew could keep it together."

Ducky nodded, "I see."

"At the hospital," Gibbs began, changing the subject, "Abby clung to Tim. She wouldn't let him go, but she did even act like she wanted Tony, Ziva, or me to hug her. She only let us after Tony asked."

"Well, Timothy was the only one she was allowed contact with while she was gone. That is possibly why she is clinging to him right now."

"Yeah."

Ducky sighed, knowing how concerned Gibbs was. And also knowing that he had barely slept in ten days, "Right now, Jethro, you need sleep. Table two is clean, if you'd like to use it."

"Thanks, Duck."

"You're welcome."

* * *

"He was in our apartments," Tony said with a disgusted look on his face. He and Ziva were gathering up their things from their desks before heading home.

"I know."

"And he went through our stuff."

"I know, Tony."

"I wonder if he took anything."

"What could he possibly take from your apartment? An autographed copy of Stupid and Stupider?"

He glared at her, "It's Dumb and Dumber, Ziva."

"Whatever. I am tired. I am going to go home, lay down, and sleep."

"I think I'll clean first."

Ziva rolled her eyes, "Right."

Tony was silent as they continued to get ready to leave, which Ziva enjoyed a lot.

They both began walking to the elevator, "What do you think he meant?" Tony asked, ending the silence that Ziva loved.

"He said a a lot of things, Tony. You will have to be more specified."

"_Specific_... I'm talking about when he said that Tim had sad secrets. That his life is different from the way he wanted it to be. What do you think he meant?"

Ziva didn't reply at first. That had caught her attention as well, when Joe brought it up.

"...I do not know, Tony."

* * *

**I was not sure how I wanted this chapter to end, but I thought this was a good spot.**

** Thank you all so much for your reviews (and the driving tips!). I love reading the reviews of the night, right before I go to bed. **

** This chapter has more of the rest of the team then it does Tim and Abby, but I promised the whole team would be involved, so here they are! haha**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	12. The Anger And Fear

Gibbs was sound asleep for the first time in ten days. Sure, he had slept some while Abby was gone, but it was never a peaceful, deep sleep.

Of course, it couldn't last forever and soon enough his phone was ringing. He looked over at his clock. It was 3:05am. He reached over and grabbed his phone off of his nightstand, "What?"

"Gibbs, it's Vance."

The tone in his voice did not leave Gibbs with an easy feeling, "Why are you calling me?"

"Because, I just got a call not long ago. Joe committed suicide in his cell a couple of hours ago."

Gibbs sat up, "What?" He exclaimed, "What did he do?"

"Suffocated himself with a pillow."

"Oh, God," Gibbs rubbed his eyes, "I'll be right in."

"No need. I have other agents on it."

"Bu-"

"I know you want your team to have to have all the evidence, and you will. Believe it or not, Gibbs, agents outside of your team know how to do their job as well. You will get everything from the other team when you come to work at 7am. I just called because I know that if I waited and told you in the morning, it would not sit well with you... to say the least."

Gibbs couldn't disagree.

"Go back to bed," Vance continued, "Get some rest... You need it."

Gibbs hung up and laid back down. He tried to fall asleep, but he couldn't, so he got up and went to his basement.

* * *

Tim was asleep with his head lying on Abby's bed and the rest of him sitting in a chair. His hand was resting over Abby's, so if she woke up in the middle of the night, she would know he was there.

Abby's hand moved, causing him to wake up. He sat up and stretched his neck... Turns out his way of sleeping is not all that comfortable the morning after.

He looked over at Abby to make sure she was okay. She seemed to be sleeping soundly.

He glanced at his watch and saw that it was almost 8am.

He walked over to the door, making sure Abby could still see him if she woke up, and got out his cell phone.

"Gibbs."

"Hey, Boss. I don't think I'll be able to come in today," He whispered.

"I didn't think you would, McGee... After all, you are Abby's husband."

Tim was confused for a moment, then he remembered, "Oh! You, uh... You heard about that?"

"Uh-huh. How is she, Tim?"

He sighed, "Terrified to be alone. She freaked out when she woke up yesterday evening and I was in the bathroom. She thought I had left her... Boss, she..." His voice trailed off, not quite sure how to say what he needed to say.

"What is it, McGee?"

"She wouldn't even let me leave to get a drink in the cafeteria. I had to get a nurse get one for me. She only lets _me_ help her to the bathroom. She almost got into a huge fight with another nurse last night because she came in and told me visiting hours were over and I needed to leave."

"What did you do?"

"I told her that the only was I was leaving Abby is in a body bag."

Gibbs couldn't help but smile, "Good job, McGee... Stay with her as long as she wants you there. I'll have Tony or Ziva come there later on, to give you a break."

"Okay... How are things going there?"

"Joe killed himself."

Tim's eyes widened, "Are you serious?"

"Last night. I'll give you details later. Don't let Abby know. We're working on getting his real name right now."

"Well, call if you need me."

"You're right where you need to be, McGee."

Just as they hung up, Abby began to stir. Tim hurried back to her side and sat in his chair.

"Hi, Timmy," She said sleepily.

"Hey. How did you sleep?"

"Good. You?"

_'My neck and back is killing me.'_ He smiled, "I slept great."

Abby squirmed in her bed. It hurt to move, but she was tired of being stuck in the bed.

"Want some breakfast?" Tim asked, "I have a menu of what you're allowed to eat."

Abby sighed, "What I want is to get out of this room."

Tim thought for a moment, "Tell you what. You eat breakfast, I'll see what I can do to get you out for a while. Deal?"

"...Deal."

"Okay, now here is the list of amazingly tasty things you can have," He cleared his throat, "Scrambled eggs, jell-o... but only orange or lime, toast-"

"No!" Abby exclaimed, "No toast."

Tim wondered why she reacted that way, but decided now wasn't the time to ask questions, "Okay, no toast," He went back to reading the list, "Vanilla pudding, and applesauce. There are a few other things, but I already know that you hate them."

Abby scrunched her face, "None of that sounds appetizing."

"I know," Tim agreed, "But, I'll eat whatever you eat. So, our taste buds can be miserable together."

Abby smiled," Uh... Applesauce, I guess."

Tim picked up the hospital phone to call in the order, "Applesauce it is."

* * *

Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva were at there desks, searching for Joe's true identity.

"I found him!" Ziva excaimed after a two hour search.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked.

"Yes. I found his name twenty minutes ago and I have been looking him up to get some background." She put his picture up on the plasma and they all walked over to it. "His name is Gerald Fuller. He is a former marine with _no_ siblings."

"What?" Gibbs and Tony replied at the same time.

Ziva nodded, "It turns out that _he_ was the one to be tortured. Seven years ago he was captured in Afghanistan and held captive for six months. That is how long it took for NCIS agents to find him."

"He told us we weren't working here when it happened," Tony said.

"He also said his brother was the one who was tortured," Gibbs added angrily.

"We had nothing to do with his case," Ziva continued, "It was not even anyone at this branch who worked the case."

"So, he just randomly chose to screw with our team to get back at people we don't even know?" Tony asked.

"It looks that way."

Gibbs curse loudly, anger brewing inside him. He quickly left the bullpen and made his way up to Vance's office, leaving Tony and Ziva to wonder what was going through his mind.

* * *

"I was supposed to get a chance with him!" Gibbs yelled as he stormed into Vance's office.

"Please, come right in."

"That son of a bi-"

"I suppose you are talking about Joe?" Vance interrupted.

"His name was Gerald and I was gonna talk to him today!"

"Why didn't you talk to him before? You had the chance."

"I couldn't then."

"Because you would have lost control?" Vance asked... Although it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes!"

"And you think that, in one night, your feelings towards Gerald would have disappeared? That suddenly you would have been able to sit in a room with him and just talk to him?... Tell me, Gibbs, are you angry because Gerald killed himself, or because _you_ didn't get to kill him?"

Gibbs sat down and sighed.

Vance's eyebrows furrowed, "That's what I thought."

Gibbs took a deep breath, "Where do we go from here?"

"You're asking me? I never thought that would happen." Vance noticed the... confusion in Gibbs' eyes. He had never seen Gibbs like this. "You work on helping Abby now. She's gonna need it. I'll keep you and your team on cold cases for while, that way you can focus more on Miss Sciuto... How is she doing, by the way?"

Gibbs got up and walked to the door, "I'll let you know when I know."

* * *

Dr. Smith allowed Tim to take Abby outside for a while, as long as he pushed her in a wheelchair. They were out for a little over an hour, until Tim noticed that she seemed to be getting tired, so he took her back to her room. He watched her as she slept... Not in the creepy stalker way, but in the concerned best friend way.

Her arms weren't under the covers, so her bruises and bandaged cuts were visible to Tim. _'I did that to her,'_ He thought to himself, _'I'm the reason every one of those cuts and bruises are there.'_ Tim had been at the hospital now for over twenty four hours without a break, which he desperately needed. He loved Abby, that was no secret to anyone, but he couldn't hardly handle being around her. He hated that he felt that way, but he couldn't help it. Every time he talked to her, or just looked at her, he felt responsible for how she was now. He felt responsible for every single second that she was in pain...

He sighed. _'Just an hour. That's all I need. Just a little break.'_

* * *

Abby was in the middle of eating her dinner of mashed potatoes when Ziva arrived.

"Hello, Abby, Tim."

"Hi," They both replied.

"How are you feeling, Abby?"

_'Like you really want to know.'_ "Better than I was yesterday."

Ziva smiled, "That is good to hear."

"Abby," Tim began as he stood up, "Ziva is going to stay with you for a while. Just so I can go pick up my clothes and some other things I need from my apartment."

Abby's heart began pounding and tears immediately came to her eyes, "No, Tim! Don't go!"

"I'll only be gone for about an hour, Abbs."

"But, you can't go! You said you wouldn't leave me alone!"

"I will be with you, Abby," Ziva replied, hoping to avoid a freak out.

"No!" She yelled, "I want Tim to stay!"

Counting the times with the nurses, and once with him, this would be the fourth time Tim had to calm Abby in a twenty four hour period. "Calm down, Abby. Ziva's going to sit right where I've been sitting and she won't leave your side until I get back. Right, Ziva?"

"Correct."

Abby's entire facial expression changed, "She doesn't care about me."

"What?" Tim asked, confused.

Abby began to hyperventilate, "She doesn't care!" She screamed, startling both Tim and Ziva. "None of them care! Don't leave me with her, Timmy! Please, don't!" She begged, "Please!"

* * *

**I know you all are totally interested in my personal life (;D), so ...Last night I played laser tag for the first time since I was like ten, and it was so much fun! I'm homeschooled and we have these mandatory meetings that we go to twice a year. I always hated them because I don't really get along well with other teens, but I had a lot of fun this time. So, if you want advice from a seventeen year old, everyone needs to go out and do something that you are dreading... You might just enjoy it!**

**On to another subject... This is my most reviewed story! I have never had almost 100 reviews by the 12th chapter! You guys are like the apples to my sauce (Nope, I couldn't come up with anything better). Thank you all so much!**


	13. The Way Home

A nurse rushed into the room, "What happened?"

"I am not sure," Ziva replied over Abby's screams.

"Don't leave me, Timmy! She doesn't care! She doesn't!"

Tim was trying to calm her so he could talk to her, "Abby. Abby, listen to me!"

"I'll get the doctor," The nurse said, quickly leaving the room.

Ziva stayed back. She figured it would be a bad idea to try and help, seeing that she was the one Abby was talking about.

Tim took a hold of Abby's shoulders, "Abby, stop it! Listen!"

She quieted down, but was still crying very hard.

"I won't leave. I'll let Ziva know what I need from my apartment and I'll have her get it for me, okay?"

"Promise?" She asked pitifully.

He nodded, "I promise."

Dr. Smith came in, "What's going on?" She asked Ziva, who was over by the door. Ziva hadn't realized until then that she had backed up quite a bit during Abby's outburst.

"She began screaming because Tim was going to leave for a little while."

"I'll speak with her."

The doctor went over to Abby and a few seconds later Tim came walking over to Ziva.

"What was that?" Ziva asked.

Tim shook his head, "I have no idea. She's freaked out on me before, but she's never talked like that."

"What do you think she meant? Saying that I do not care?... That none of us care? She obviously was not talking about you."

"How do you know?"

"Because, she _wants_ you here."

Tim sighed, "There's so much we don't know right now. Like, what did Joe do to her while she was with him? I mean, I know some of the things," For a moment all he could hear was the sound of Abby screaming through the telephone. He quickly shook the memory from his mind, "But we don't know everything."

"Joe's real name was Gerald," Ziva informed him. "What would you like me to get from your apartment?" She asked, changing the subject.

He reached into his pocket and handed her his key, "I have a bag under my bed. I won't need work clothes so everything I will need will be in drawers, except for jeans. They're in my closet. Then, my toothbrush, razor, that kind of stuff. The hospital gave me a toothbrush, but it's that weird off white color that makes it look dirty, so-"

Ziva stopped him, "No need to explain, McGee. I will get what you need."

Dr. Smith walked up to them, "I gave her a sedative through her IV, so she'll be sleep for a while. She seems to be okay, though... Physically speaking, anyway. I'll check on her in about an hour."

"Thank you," Tim replied.

The doctor smiled and left.

"Thank you for getting my stuff for me, Ziva."

"Do not mention it. I will go there right now."

Tim walked back over to Abby and sat down. Ziva watched as he took her hand in his, gently rubbing his thumb over the top of her hand. She looked at Abby, whose face looked so peaceful now. No one would have believed that, just a few minutes before, she was screaming bloody murder. Then she looked at Tim's face. It did not look so peaceful. He looked as though he was filled with concern, anger, and sadness... And she could of sworn that he had a look of guilt mixed in there too.

* * *

One week slowly passed by. Tim had basically moved into the hospital. Some orderlies had brought in a reclining chair, so he could sleep more comfortably. Ziva had picked up everything he would need from his apartment and had Tony take it to him.

A few days after the incident with Ziva, Gibbs came to visit. Tim, once again, tried to leave. He never thought she would freak out with Gibbs there... He was wrong. She went into another raging fit, even worse than the one with Ziva. Gibbs took it a little better than Ziva did, but it was still hard on him to see Abby that way. Tim had to calm her down and the doctor had to give her another sedative. Gibbs stayed with Tim for a while as Abby slept, but neither of them said a word. They just sat there, watching Abby sleep... both of them filled with worry.

The day after that, Tim tried to talk to her about it. He asked her what was wrong and why she said that the none of them care?... And who all did she mean by "none of them"? Abby wouldn't answer.

Each day became more and more difficult for Tim. He couldn't get it out of his mind that he was the reason for all of Abby's problems. Each time she woke up with a nightmare, or when she would start randomly crying, he would feel so guilty... The crying was the worst. Even worse than the times she screamed when Tim tried to leave. At least when she screamed, she talked. She gave reasons as to why she was screaming, even if they didn't make much sense.

When she cried, all she wanted was to be held. Tim would have to get up beside her on the bed and wrap his arms around her... sometimes for hours. That was like torture to him. Not because he didn't want to be there for her, but because, in his mind, he was responsible for every tear she shed.

* * *

Gibbs got a call from Dr. Smith, asking if he had time to come in and talk for a while... He was at the hospital within thirty minutes.

Gibbs was about to ask a nurse where Dr. Smith was when she walked up to him, "Hello, Agent Gibbs," She said with a smile, "My office is right this way. We can talk there."

They went into her office and sat down. "I've got some good news," She began, "Abby will be released tomorrow."

"She's ready?" He questioned.

Dr. Smith understood why he was asking, "Physically, yes she is. However, that's not what I needed to speak with you about."

"What is?"

"I believe you already know that, emotionally, Abby is _not_ doing very well."

He sighed, "Yeah."

"I don't think it would be wise if she was left alone right now."

"Already thought of that."

She smiled, "Yes, I figured you as the type to think ahead. Have you also thought about where she could stay, or who could stay with her?"

"She was kidnapped in her apartment, so I don't think she should be there."

Dr. Smith nodded, "I agree."

"She seems to only want Tim. I can talk to him about it today."

"Sounds good," They both stood up, "Thank you for coming and speaking with me. Abby is very lucky to have you, Tim, and all of her other friends in her life."

Gibbs nodded... If only Abby felt that way.

* * *

Abby was sleeping when Gibbs came into the room. She and Tim had been up the whole night before. First with a nightmare, then the crying.

Tim was leaning back in his recliner with his eyes closed, listening to his mp3 player.

Gibbs walked over to him and pulled the buds out of his ear.

Tim's eyes popped open, "Oh, hey, Boss," He whispered.

"I need to talk to you."

Tim nodded, "Okay... We can talk here, she won't wake up."

Gibbs brought over another little chair that was in the corner of the room, "Were you and Abby told that she gets released tomorrow?"

Tim looked surprised, "No, we weren't."

"Dr. Smith just told me."

"Ah, that must have been why she came in. Abby was asleep so she just said she'd come back later."

Gibbs nodded, "Can Abby stay with you for a while?" He asked, getting straight to the point.

"Um... I," Tim was slightly thrown off by the question.

"She doesn't need to be alone right now, and she definitely doesn't need to go back to her apartment yet," Gibbs explained.

"I agree, but I don't think there's enough room in my apartment. I don't even have a couch. And I haven't had the chance to clean it since Abby went missing. It's... It's kind of a wreck."

Gibbs thought for a moment, "You two can stay at my place." He saw the confusion in Tim's eyes, "There's no way she's gonna stay with me without you. She made that perfectly clear a couple of days ago." ...Gibbs didn't want to make it sound like he was demanding Tim to stay with him and Abby, "That okay with you?"

The thought of living with Gibbs didn't exactly thrill Tim, but there was no way he could leave Abby in her condition, "Yeah, that's fine."

"Alright. I'll pick you two up tomorrow morning."

Tim smiled, although there was no true emotion behind it, "We'll be ready."

* * *

"Abby gets out of the hospital today," Tony said to Ziva. "Gibbs should be pulling up to the hospital right about now."

"I know."

"You wanna come with me to visit her tonight? Palmer's coming with me too."

"I can not. I have plans," She replied, never moving her eyes from her computer screen.

"Really?" Tony questioned, not believing her for a second, "What plans?"

"_My_ plans."

"Ziva, she didn't mean what she said. She freaked out with Gibbs, too."

Ziva didn't reply. She continued typing away at her keyboard.

Tony got up and walked over to her desk, "It seems like you would understand what she's been through."

She still wouldn't reply.

"I asked Tim, and he said you haven't been there since that day. Why are you ignoring her?"

She sighed, "Why should I understand?"

"What do you mean?"

"You _just_ said that I should understand. Why? I was not there with her. I do not know what happened while she was with Gerald. Just because I was captured and tortured for three months does not mean I suddenly understand what every abused person is going through." Ziva stood up and walked off, leaving Tony speechless.

* * *

The ride to Gibbs' house was a quiet one.

Abby wouldn't sit up front, next to Gibbs, so she and Tim sat in the back. The closer they got to Gibbs' house, the more nervous Abby got.

When they were about ten minutes away, Abby took Tim's hand in hers. Each time Gibbs would stop he would look back at them through his rear view mirror, and each time Abby's grip was a little tighter on Tim's hand.

It was then that Gibbs noticed just how caring Tim was to Abby. He saw the little reassuring smiles that Tim would give her, letting her know everything would be okay. He noticed that Tim never complained, even though he had barely had any rest. And Tim never pulled his hand away from Abby, even when it was beginning to lose color from how tightly she was holding it.

They pulled up to the house and got out of the car.

"I had Ziva get some of your stuff from your apartment," Gibbs said to Abby as they walked up to the house, "If you need anything else, just let any of us know."

"Okay," Abby replied quietly.

"She got some more of your stuff, too, Tim."

Tim noticed Abby tensing up as Gibbs opened the front door.

Gibbs walked in, but Abby didn't move. Tim gave Gibbs the 'go ahead, we'll be there in a minute' look.

Gibbs walked off, slightly amused by the fact that Tim gave him the same look he had always given his team.

Tim placed his arm around Abby, "You okay?"

"I... I'm scared, Timmy." She replied as she stared into the house.

"There's nothing to be scared of, Abbs."

"You... You won't leave me, right?"

"I promise, I won't." They both stood there silently for a few seconds, "Are you ready to go inside?" He asked.

She took a deep breath, "I guess so."

* * *

**This is now my most alerted story! YAY! Thank you guys so much! I have more reviews, and alerts, than any story I've ever written. You guys are better than pistachios... and potato chips. (How many people got that reference automatically?)**

**Thanks for the reviews! Let me know what you think of chapter 13 :)**


	14. The First Night

**Whenever Abby is thinking about Joe/Gerald, I keep his name as Joe, because that's what (in my opinion) she would be used to thinking of him as.**

* * *

"Are you sure she'll want us here?" Jimmy asked as he and Tony drove up to Gibbs' house.

"Nope."

Jimmy shook his head, "Maybe we shouldn't go in."

Tony rolled his eyes, "I told you five times, Palmer, if you didn't want to come then you shouldn't have come!" He exclaimed, clearly annoyed. Tony got out of the car, but Jimmy didn't move. Tony re-opened his door and leaned over so Jimmy could see him, "However," He began, "Gibbs may not enjoy the idea of you just sitting out in his driveway... so since you're already here, get out of the car!"

Jimmy sighed, then opened his car door and got out, "I'm coming," He said hesitantly.

"Good autopsy gremlin," Tony replied as he patted the back of Jimmy's head.

Usually, Tony would just go right into Gibbs' house, but under the different circumstances he figured it would be better to knock first.

They heard Gibbs call Tim and Abby's name right before he opened the door.

"Hey, Boss," Tony said as he walked inside.

"Abby and Tim are upstairs getting all their stuff situated," Gibbs told him, "I told them you were here, so they should be down in a few minutes."

They hadn't moved from the front door because Jimmy still hadn't come inside.

Gibbs looked at him, just staring until Jimmy pulled out of his trance.

"Uh... Um, hello, Boss- I mean, Agent Gibbs."

"Hello... Are you going to come in or just stand in the doorway?"

"Oh!" He laughed nervously as he stepped into the house, "Of course I'll come in. I... I never thought I'd be at your house."

Tony gave Jimmy a 'What a stupid thing to say' face as they all made their way into the living room.

"How is she doing?" Tony asked as they sat down.

"They've been upstairs most of the day. It's been quiet."

"Well, quiet is good, right?"

Gibbs shrugged, "Who knows?"

"McGee hasn't been down?"

"McGee cant leave Abby at all," He sighed, "Except to go to the bathroom. Even then she stands right outside of the door the whole time."

Tony went to speak, but Gibbs wasn't finished.

"I heard them talking earlier. It took Tim twenty minutes to convince Abby to come down for lunch. When she finally agreed and came downstairs I told her I'd make her whatever she wanted, but she would only let McGee fix her food. Same thing with dinner, too... He's probably having to convince her to come downstairs right now."

Tony didn't think he'd ever heard Gibbs speak so much all in one shot. He was clearly very upset.

"She's gonna have to eventually talk about what happened with Gerald," Tony said, "Otherwise we'll never understand why she's acting the way she's acting."

"Yeah, I know."

Abby and Tim came downstairs a few seconds later. Abby looked like a lost child. She stood right beside Tim, so close that they could have been attached at the waist.

"Hey, Abbs," Tony said with a smile. He and Jimmy got up so that Abby and Tim could sit on the couch.

"Hi," She replied quietly as she stared at the floor.

"Hi, Abby," Jimmy greeted her cautiously.

Abby looked up at him. _'Jimmy... Jimmy's okay, right?'_ She thought to herself. _'Tony, Ducky, Ziva, and Gibbs... They're the bad ones.'_

"Hi, Jimmy."

* * *

They had been talking for about ten minutes when there was another knock on the door.

Gibbs got up, "I'll get it."

A few seconds later Gibbs returned, with Ducky.

"Hey, Ducky!" Tony said, "Joining the party?"

"I thought I might," He replied with a smile, "How are you, Abigail?"

She somehow managed to scoot even closer to Tim, "Fine."

"That is good, my dear."

_'Why are they all here?'_ Abby wondered,_ 'If they didn't care, then why did they come?'_ Suddenly a voice different from hers came into her head... It was Joe's voice. _'...Because, they're pretending. They want you to think they care.'

* * *

_

Abby would only really listen to the conversations that were going on when Tim would talk. Occasionally she would listen to Jimmy as well.

She became more and more nervous as the night went on. The same thoughts repeating endlessly in her mind._ 'They don't really care about me. They're fakes. They're just pretending! If they cared then they would have found me sooner. Tim was the one who found me. Even Tony admitted it. Tim was the one to figure it out. He was the only one really looking for me.'_

An hour passed and Tim began noticing that Abby seemed to be getting jittery. She kept wiping her hands on her clothes, letting him know that she was sweating, and she was taking long, deep breaths. When you spend an entire week with someone, never leaving there side, you begin to notice everything about them. You learn their normal behavior... and their not so normal behavior. Yes, he already knew the old Abby inside and out, but now he had learned the new Abby... and he could tell that if he didn't get her out of there soon, she would probably start freaking out.

Tim faked a yawn, "I'm getting kind of tired." He said as he glanced at Gibbs, then to Abby.

Gibbs took the hint, "Yeah, me too."

Tony stood up. He also understood the reason why Tim said he was tired. "We should get going anyway. Right, Jimbo?"

Jimmy was slightly thrown off by the nickname, "Um... right."

"Yes, I need to be going as well," Ducky added, "I have to get up early tomorrow."

"I thought you had tomorrow off, Dr. Mallard," Jimmy said as they all made their way to the door.

"I do, but three weeks ago I promised an old friend of mine that I would go fishing with him tomorrow... unfortunately he remembers that promise."

They all said their goodbyes and left... Abby felt a lot better once they were gone.

* * *

"It was nice of Tony, Jimmy, and Ducky to come by for a while," Tim said as he got his bed ready... It wasn't exactly a bed. It was more of a few blankets and a pillow on the floor.

"Uh-huh," Abby replied, not really wanting to get into that conversation.

Tim sighed to himself. He knew that eventually he'd have to re-ask what was going on... but right now, all he wanted to do was get some rest.

"Did you take your medicine?" He asked. Dr. Smith had given Abby some pills to help her sleep.

"About to right now."

Abby took her sleeping pill and Tim turned off the bedroom light, "Goodnight, Abbs," He said as he walked back to his bed of blankets.

"Goodnight."

Only a few seconds later Abby began breathing heavily. It was quiet, dark, and she felt alone. "Tim?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

"Why, Abbs?" He asked kindly.

"I... feel alone."

"I'm right here."

"I... I know, but..." She sighed, "I'm just being stupid. I'm sorry."

"No, that's not stupid. You're in a strange place. It's not stupid to be scared."

"I just... I know you're there, but... but I don't. I forget and... I think I'm alone."

He thought for a moment, "Here," He said as he got up and walked over to the other side of the bed, "Why don't I lay by you til you fall asleep?"

"You... You don't have to, Timmy. I'm just bothering you."

"Abby, you are not bothering me. Now, will you _please_ let me sleep with you?"

Abby couldn't help but laugh at the way that question sounded... Tim said it purposely, hoping it would make her happy... If only for a moment.

"Okay, fine."

"Thank you." Tim got into the bed and scooted close to Abby. She laid her head on his chest, to hear his heartbeat, and he laid his arm across her back.

They were both lying there with their eyes closed, just waiting for sleep to kick in when, all of a sudden, Tim began laughing.

"What's so funny?" Abby asked.

He shook his head, "Nothing."

It was quiet for a moment, then he began laughing again.

"Come on, Tim, what is it?"

"It's just... How we're laying... It reminds me of when we slept in your coffin."

Abby began laughing as well, "You didn't know it was a coffin though."

"I know. When we first got in it I thought you had a freakishly small bed. Then somebody lied and told me it was a box sofa bed."

"I didn't think you were the type to sleep in a coffin, knowingly."

Tim agreed, "Yeah, it was pretty creepy when I first found out... but, thinking back, that was probably the best nights sleep I ever had."

"Does the credit go to the coffin or me?" Abby asked, jokingly.

Tim smiled, "Definitely... the coffin."

They laughed and talked for a few more minutes. It was a nice break from all the drama that had been going on around them. But, soon enough Abby's meds kicked in, and Tim's exhaustion took control, and they both fell sound asleep.

* * *

Gibbs moved away from the door when Tim and Abby stopped talking. He didn't mean to eavesdrop... he was just passing by the door when he heard Tim laughing. Then, when they started talking, he couldn't seem to make himself leave.

He had already known that they had a past... and he knew that Tim had slept in the coffin, but he hadn't really thought of them in 'that way' in over seven years. He hadn't heard Abby sound so happy, or happy at all, since she was rescued... And thinking back, he had never heard Tim laugh that much either. It made him wonder why they ever broke up.

Gibbs went down to the basement to work on his boat, and to clear his mind. He never really thought about his colleagues personal lives before... But now it seemed to be _all_ he could think about.

* * *

The next morning Abby and Tim woke up in the same positions they had fallen asleep in. Gibbs was already at work so Abby was okay with letting Tim go take a shower. She even let him close the door all the way.

For Tim, the shower could not last long enough. It seemed that no matter how much he slept, he still felt exhausted the next morning.

As he stood in the shower, just letting the hot water run over him, memories of all the phone calls, and talking to Gerald in person, flashed through his mind.

_'If I do not like one of the questions you ask, or I disagree with anything you say, then she will be harmed.'_

_'Why are you doing this?'_

_'Times up.'_

_'I will win.'_

_'Timmy!'_

_'Not a good question!'_

_'How are you doing?'_

_'Ah! Please, stop it!'_

_'Stop hurting her!'_

_'I will win.'_

_'Tim! Help me!'_

_'Don't talk. I just want to hear you breathe.'_

_'Your three minutes begin now.'_

_'It'll be like when I would listen to your heartbeat.'_

_'You hear my voice all the time. When you try to sleep, when you try to eat, when you try to work... I'm always there.'_

_'I will win.'_

_'It's your fault, Timothy.'_

_'I will win.'_

_'You caused the pain, Timothy.'_

_'I will win.'_

The water temperature changing from hot to cold brought Tim out of his trance. He wasn't sure how long he'd been in the shower, but he figured it must have been a while... seeing that he used all the hot water.

He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, then got dressed.

When he went back into the room that he and Abby were staying in, she wasn't there.

"Abby?" He called out.

No answer.

He went downstairs, "Abby?"

Still no answer.

"Abbs, where are you?" He asked, becoming very worried.

He was about to go down into the basement when he sat that the backdoor was cracked. He walked outside and saw Abby just standing there, staring straight ahead.

He walked over to her slowly, "What are you doing?"

She shrugged, "Just... thinking."

"What about?"

"Everything."

"Anything you'd like to share?"

"I'll have to start working again soon... I don't know if I can."

"Abbs, you know you can take as much time off as you need."

"Yeah," She turned to him, "But you can't."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed, "Tim, I can't eat breakfast without you right beside me!" She exclaimed frustratedly. "When you were in the shower I stood by the door for ten minutes. It took me another twenty minutes to get downstairs and out here and I had two panic attacks along the way!"

"But, you did it," Tim replied, trying to find the bright side, "You came out here all by yourself."

She stared at him for a moment then turned back to the house, "Look up there, Tim." She pointed to the upstairs, middle window, "That's where you were. I looked back eighteen times to make sure the light was still on and I could see your shadow. Then, once the light was off, I heard you calling my name... so I knew you were there and I knew that you'd be out here soon." Her bottom lip began to tremble and tears fell from her eyes, "I hate being this way, Timmy. I hate it!"

"It's okay, Abby-"

She began pacing back and forth, "No, it's not. It's not okay. _I know_ that I can't seem to function without you. _I know_ that I can't stand to see Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, or Ducky. I don't understand why, though! I remember being "normal" but I can't force myself to go back to that. It's like everything before being kidnapped was just a dream. I remember when I thought that Ducky cared or Gibbs cared or the rest of them cared... but now it's all mixed up. I see them and... and they act like they care about me, but they don't. They pretend, but they don't act like they're pretending."

She was now on the verge of hyperventilating, but she didn't give Tim a chance to speak yet, "And, I remember loving them. I remember wanting to see them. But now, I hate them. There's still some moments in the day where I'll think about one of them and I'll smile, but then I hate them again. And both feelings always seem so wrong. I shouldn't love them, but I shouldn't hate them, but I do hate them." It was all becoming too much. She couldn't think straight. She couldn't think of an easy way to explain how she felt... Maybe because there really was no easy way.

She fell to the ground, no longer able to stand. Tim was quickly right beside her, holding her in his arms.

"Everything... is so... messed up, Tim," She said through her sobs.

"I know. I know it is, Abbs."

"My brain is... all tangled up... and I can't... fix it."

"It'll get better, Abby. I promise, it'll get better."

"I... hate this, Timmy... I hate it."

* * *

**So many of you got the pistachio thing! That's awesome! haha**

** I promise I wrote the whole thing about the coffin before last nights episode (which was amazing!)! I actually wrote it about thirty minutes before the episode aired and I had no idea they were gonna use that as a flashback... Did anyone else notice the little smiles on Tim and Abby's faces when they thought of each other! So adorable :) They belong together. I believe they are in the denial stage right now... Next come acceptance (yes!) lol... Until then, I'll keep waiting for them to just kiss already! Also, next weeks episode looks amazing, too.**

**In other news: Thank you all for your fabulous reviews! They mean the world to me. If I could give you all farting hippos, I would.**


	15. The Steps You Take

"Ziva, you decided to join us," Tony said with a grin as Ziva walked into the bullpen an hour late.

Ziva looked around, "I do not see an "us" anywhere."

"Gibbs is down with Ducky."

Ziva sat down and began working on one of the cold cases she had been assigned.

"Missed ya last night at Gibbs house. I thought you might come join us."

"I told you I was busy."

"I know... Everyone else was there. Well, except for Director Vance, but besides him everyone was there."

"Good to know," Ziva replied, obviously not interested in discussing the subject any further.

Tony sighed, "Why are you doing this, Ziva?"

"I am doing this because Petty Officer Jermaine Wilson was killed fifteen years ago, and still no one has found his killer."

Tony's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What?" Then it clicked. He walked over to her desk, "I wasn't asking why you were on your computer. I'm asking why you're avoiding Abby."

Ziva was silent for a moment. "Abby did not want me around her. She did not want me to stay with her and by the look on her face she did not want me near her at all. If that is what she wants, then I should respect that."

"She blew up with Gibbs, too, and she still sees him all the time."

"Gibbs is giving her a place to stay. She has no choice _but_ to see him. When I was brought back from Africa there were times that I just wanted to be... to be left alone. No, I did not react the same way Abby did, but sometimes I felt like she is feeling. Everyone was surrounding me and wanting to talk to me and be with me, but all I wanted was some space. I did not cling to anyone as she has with Tim, but I still know what she feels like... in some ways. If space is what she needs, then I will give that to her."

"I thought you said you didn't understand," Tony replied.

"I never said I did not understand. I simply asked why I should. What I said before, I still mean. I was not with her. I do not know what Gerald did to her. And I do not understand what every abused person has gone through... Now, will you please let me get back to work?"

"Hmmm... Okay!"

* * *

Tim lied in bed beside Abby. She had been asleep for over an hour, but he couldn't seem to allow his brain to rest.

He felt a little thirsty and he hated to go to sleep thirsty. He gently moved Abby over so he could get up and go downstairs. Before cracking the door behind him he looked to make sure she was okay... She seemed to be sound asleep.

He walked very carefully down the stairs as there was no light in the house whatsoever. He sighed in relief once he got down the last step safely, then he began blindly making his way into the kitchen.

"Does Abby know you're down here?" Gibbs asked, startling Tim.

Tim gasped, "Oh my God! You scared me."

"I can see that."

Tim squinted, trying to find exactly where Gibbs was. All he could tell is that he was somewhere in the living room. "Yeah. How exactly do you see... anything? It's pitch black down here."

"Eh. You get used to it."

Tim managed to find Gibbs' outline sitting on the right side of the couch, so Tim slowly walked over and sat down on the left, "Why are you sitting in the dark?"

"Why not? You don't need a light on to think."

"True," Tim replied with a nod.

"So, does Abby know you're down here?" Gibbs re-asked.

"Uh, no. She's asleep. The pills Dr. Smith gave her really help... I just came down to get some water."

"Then why don't you get it?"

"Huh? Oh!" Tim laughed, "I forgot." He got up and started to go into the kitchen, but his eyes still weren't completely used to the lack of light, "Do you mind if I turn on a-"

Before he could finish, Gibbs turned on the lamp beside him.

Tim smiled, "Thanks."

* * *

A few seconds later he returned with some water, "Do you care if I sit out here for a little bit? I'm not really ready to go to bed yet."

"Sure."

He sat down and took a sip of his drink. They were both quiet for a while... Tim wasn't really sure if he was supposed to talk.

"Has she said anything to you?" Gibbs asked.

"Who? Abby?"

Gibbs sighed, "No, my mail lady. Yes, Abby."

"Right... Um, yeah, she talked to me this morning. Not all of it makes sense, but it's very clear that she was brainwashed. She said she feels like her life before being kidnapped was a dream. She said everything is messed up. That her brain is tangled up and she doesn't know how to fix it." He decided not to go into detail about her saying she hated pretty much everyone on the team, except him. "Like I said, it doesn't all make sense, but she opened up a little... That's gotta be a step forward."

Gibbs looked over at Tim. He looked exhausted. He was pale, with bags and dark circles under his eyes. He looked physically, and emotionally, drained.

"How do _you_ feel?" Gibbs asked him.

Tim looked at him, a little thrown off by the question, "I'm fine," He replied. It was an all too obvious lie. Tim didn't even buy his answer.

"You don't look fine, McGee."

"I'm... I'm just a little tired I guess, Boss. That's all."

Gibbs sighed, "Tim, right now I'm not your boss. We're not out in the field working a case. You _can_ talk to me."

Tim sat his drink down and rubbed his eyes, "I know I can, I just... It..."

"What, Tim?" He asked calmly.

"No matter how I try to explain it, it's going to come out wrong and I'm going to sound like a terrible person."

"I'm not here to judge you."

Tim stared straight ahead for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. After about twenty seconds he turned sideways on the couch, so he could face Gibbs easily.

"I would never just pick up and leave Abby. She needs me and I would never want her to be scared... But, sometimes... I wish I could."

Gibbs eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"This is where the sounding terrible comes in," Tim sighed. He did not think he'd ever be having this conversation with Gibbs. It was terrifying, to say the least. "I hate having to be around her every day. I hate that I'm the one she wants comforted by when she cries or has a nightmare. I wish I could leave and not come back until Abby was her old self... if that ever happens."

"This has been hard on everyone, Tim, but especially you. No one can blame you for wanting a break."

Gibbs didn't seem to get exactly what Tim was saying, which slightly annoyed him, "That's not what I mean though. I don't just want a break. It's... When I was eleven my sister got this porcelain doll for her sixth birthday. A few weeks later we were having some stupid argument about what to watch on TV. She was holding the doll and I jerked it out of her arms. I was just gonna hold it up in the air so she couldn't reach it, but I dropped it. It shattered into little pieces all over the floor... Sarah cried for like a week... Anyway, It's like every time I see Abby I see that porcelain doll, lying in pieces all over the floor... and I'm the one that broke it. I didn't mean to break it, but I did."

"You're still blaming yourself for this, McGee? We've been over this before. There was nothing you could have done that night-"

Tim shook his head, "I know that. I'm not talking about that night. I'm talking about all the times I talked to Abby on the phone. All the times I screwed up and said the wrong thing. All the times that she was... beaten because of me." Tim swallowed hard, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. "Every time she was hurt, it was my fault. Every time she cries, or wakes up with a nightmare, I'm the one who caused it. Every time I screwed up I had to listen as he hit her and kicked her and did God knows what else to her." Tim stood up and began pacing back and forth in front of Gibbs, "She cried out to me, Gibbs. She would beg me to make him stop, and... and I couldn't. I couldn't do anything!"

Gibbs got up and stood in Tim's way, stopping the pacing, "Tim, you did everything you were supposed to do. He would have beaten her regardless of what you said. He would have, and probably did, make up reasons to hurt her _while_ you two were talking. You were only with her for a small amount of time every day. You have no idea what he did to her when you two weren't on the phone. And you aren't responsible for any of it... You were the one that found her. She would probably still be Gerald if it wasn't for you."

"I... I just... I would never want to hurt her."

"You haven't. If anything, you've helped her. She trusts you, Tim. If she thought you were the one to cause her pain, do you really think she'd want you around so much?"

"I...I guess not."

"You said it, Tim. She opened up to you. She took a step forward, for you."

A single tear escaped Tim's eye, which he quickly wiped away, "I want to be there for her. I love her." He said plainly, not caring whether Gibbs thought he meant it in a friendship way, or as something more.

Gibbs placed his hand on Tim's shoulder, "I know you do, McGee."

"TIM!" A loud scream came from upstairs.

"Oh my God!" Tim ran past Gibbs and up the stairs as fast as he could. Gibbs followed close behind.

"TIMMY!"

Tim rushed into Abby and his room, "It's okay, Abby. It's okay."

"You left me alone!" She screamed as she cried.

Gibbs turned on the hallway light so Tim could see. He didn't go into the room, but he watched from outside the door.

Tim brought Abby into his arms, "I just went to get a drink, Abbs. What happened?"

She was on the verge of hyperventilating, "I... had a... nightmare. I woke up... and you were... gone. I was alone."

"I'm so sorry, Abby."

"Why did... you leave me?" She asked, holding onto him tightly.

"I was thirsty. I didn't think you would wake up. I'm so sorry."

"Don't... don't..." Abby couldn't get the words out, she was crying too hard.

"Calm down, Abbs. You need to calm down. Take deep breaths. Feel how I'm breathing, okay?" He started taking long, deep breaths and soon she was following pattern, "Good. That's good."

"Please... don't ever... leave me alone... again, Timmy."

"I won't, Abby, I won't."

...One step forwards, two steps backwards.

* * *

**Thank you guys so much for reviewing! (I hope you all don't get tired of me saying that). I truly mean it when I say that your reviews make my day. I take the ACT on Saturday so I have been under a lot of stress lately (I seemed to have forgotten everything I learned in Algebra), but taking a little time out from studying to read the reviews help me a lot. It's like mini therapy sessions :) Thank you! **


	16. The Breaking Point

It took four hours to get Abby back to sleep. Even as she slept she held onto Tim tightly to make sure he didn't escape her grasp.

Tim, on the other hand, never went back to sleep. He laid there wondering how long all of this was going to last. He loved Abby, but he didn't want them to be attached at the hip twenty-four hours every day. There was so much to think about. Soon he'd have to go back to work… then what would Abby do? She couldn't go out in the field with him, and he can't work in her lab forever. What about his apartment? He would have to go back there sometime. He had never cleaned it from the time he threw all of his book on the floor. He didn't even remember that it was like that when he had sent Ziva to pick up his things… but she never mentioned it, so he didn't either. And then there was Jethro. Sarah couldn't keep him forever, so he'd eventually have to go get him... It was all so overwhelming.

* * *

Gibbs walked out of the elevator and was headed to his desk when he saw Vance leaning over the stair rail, staring at him.

Gibbs sighed. He knew that look. Vance wanted to talk… and Gibbs was not in the mood. He reluctantly made his way up the stairs, "What?"

"Nice to see you too, Gibbs."

Gibbs remained silent, waiting to hear what Vance had to say.

"So, when am I getting Agent McGee back?"

Gibbs eyebrows furrowed, "When are _you_ getting him back?… He's taken like one sick day since he started working here, he probably has at least three weeks time saved up."

"Oh, I know. That's not the problem."

"Then what is?"

Vance sighed, "How is she, Gibbs?"

"She's… healing."

"Come on, Gibbs! Believe it or not I do care about the people that work for me."

Gibbs decided to give it to him straight, since he seemed to care so much, "Last night Tim came downstairs after Abby went to sleep. She woke up alone and started screaming her head off. Tim had to hold her for four hours while she cried. I could hear her downstairs. Then, before I left for work this morning I peaked into the room. She was asleep and Tim was lying there, staring at the ceiling. She had her arms wrapped around him so tight that I doubt he could move… That's how she's doing."

Vance was silent for a moment. "She'll need therapy."

"Good luck on getting her to go."

"She doesn't have to go alone. McGee can go with her if that's what she wants. But, if she wants to get better, she's gonna have to talk to someone about what happened. She can't keep it all inside."

Gibbs couldn't disagree.

"And," Vance continued, "I won't get Agent McGee back until Miss Sciuto gets better. Watching DiNozzo try to do the things Tim usually does with a computer… It gets kind of depressing."

"You're tellin' me."

Vance smiled and began to walk away, then he turned back around, "Agent McGee has_ five_ weeks time saved up… by the way."

* * *

Tim and Abby were sitting quietly in the kitchen while they ate lunch. Abby hadn't woken up until ten o'clock, and the past hour and a half had been extremely quiet. Abby seemed upset with Tim, yet she didn't want him out of her sight. It made things kind of… difficult.

Tim's cell phone began ringing, breaking the almost unbearable silence. _'Thank God,'_ Tim thought as he took his phone out of his pocket. He answered quickly, without bothering to look at the caller I.D., "Yeah," He said, figuring it would be Tony.

"Hello, Agent McGee, it's Director Vance."

Tim's eyes widened, "Director! Hi. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. How about yourself."

"I'm great." Tim tried to pull off that major lie. He never saw Vance as one to express your true feelings to.

"Good," Vance replied. He knew full and well that it was a lie, but he expected one to begin with. "I need to speak with you, if you could come in at 1400 hours."

Tim wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't tell Vance no, but he couldn't leave Abby, "Um… I-"

"I know about Miss Sciuto. She can come with you. I need to speak with her as well."

"Yes, sir. We'll be there."

"Alright. Take care of yourself, McGee. Miss Sciuto, too."

"Yes, sir."

They hung up and Tim let out a deep breath.

"Was that the Director?" Abby asked quietly.

"Yeah, he said he wants to talk to us. We have to be there at two."

Abby suddenly became worried, "What about?"

"He didn't say." Tim could see that she was nervous, "I'm sure it's no big deal. If it was then he wouldn't have us wait two and a half hours to come."

Abby relaxed a little, "Yeah…"

* * *

Abby and Tim entered the elevator. Abby was again becoming nervous and on edge.

"It'll be fine, Abbs, I promise."

She glared at him, "You also promised you would never leave me alone."

"Abby, don't-"

"Don't what, Tim? You told me that you wouldn't leave me and you did!"

"I told you I was sorry last night, Abby," Tim replied. He was trying to remain calm, but finding it hard to do.

"Whatever. I would have expected something like that from Tony, but not you."

The elevator door opened, but neither of them stepped out… and they either didn't notice, or didn't care that Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs were standing there.

Tim's patience expired,"Expected what, Abby? You were asleep and I was thirsty, so I went to get water! Where's the crime?"

"You were supposed to stay with me!" Abby yelled at him.

"I have been staying with you! I have been staying with you for the past ten days straight, with no time to myself, and I haven't complained once! You think I want to be doing this? I don't!"

The elevator door dinged and the doors began to close back, but Gibbs slipped his hand around to the controls and flipped the switch, holding the elevator in place.

"Then don't! Leave!"

Tim laughed humorlessly, "Leave? You want me to leave? Really? Fine. I'll go in and talk to Vance by myself and you can go walk around where ever you want to by _yourself_. Let's see how that works out!"

Tears bean falling down Abby's face. Just thinking of Tim leaving her alone was enough to break her.

"Okay, that's enough," Gibbs said, intervening, "What's wrong with you two?"

"Like you care!" Abby replied angrily.

"Stop it!" Tim exclaimed, "Stop saying they don't care! You say it all the time and I don't understand it! Why would you think they didn't care? They're your _best_ friends."

"Shut up, Tim!" Abby snapped back.

"Both of you, stop it!" Gibbs yelled, feeling like he was stopping two children who were fighting over a toy.

They both silenced at the sound of his commanding voice.

"That's better. "

Abby began to speak, but Gibbs stopped her, "From what I heard, you two are fighting about last night. Am I right?"

Neither spoke, giving confirmation to Gibbs' suspicions.

"Abby, Tim has put his life on hold to be with you since you went missing. While you were gone he never stopped looking for you, then once you were rescued he never left your side."

"Until last night," Abby mumbled.

Gibbs talked over her, "I'm sure that staying at my house wasn't high on his list of things he wanted to do, but he's done it for you."

Tony and Ziva stood silently in the background as Gibbs spoke. They would occasionally give side glances to one another… their form of speaking without words.

"The second you woke up and you screamed he ran to you as fast as he could, he stayed up all night and he apologized over and over for not being there. You should be thanking him instead of treating him this way."

Tim wasn't sure what to think. He never in a million years thought that Gibbs would take up for him over Abby.

Gibbs turned to Tim, "You need a break. Go outside and cool down. I'll tell Vance that you'll be late."

Abby's heart began racing. She didn't want Tim to leave her.

No matter how angry Tim was, he still couldn't do that to Abby, "I- I can't, Boss."

Gibbs sighed, "Ziva, call Palmer up here."

"Yes, Gibbs," She replied and walked off.

_'Jimmy. Jimmy's okay,'_ Abby thought.

"Abby, you'll be okay with Palmer, right?"

"I… I guess so. Just… just for a little bit."

Jimmy arrived about a couple of minutes later and joined the awkwardness that filled the surrounding area.

"Take Abby into the conference room and sit with her for a while," Gibbs said to him.

Jimmy nodded, slightly confused, "Alright."

Abby walked off with him, glancing back at the elevator, where Tim was still inside.

Tim said nothing as Abby walked away. He flipped the switch back to restart the elevator and pressed the '1' button… slightly harder than necessary.

The elevator door closed and Tony let out a deep breath, "Wow. I don't think I've ever seen them act like that to each other."

"It was bound to happen sometime," Gibbs replied, "You spend that much time with someone… The worst is eventually gonna come out." He began to walk off.

"Where are you goin', Boss?"

Gibbs said nothing. He just pointed up to the direction of Vance's office.

Tony nodded, "Oh." He walked back to his desk, "Well, that was… something," He said to Ziva, who was standing behind her desk.

"It was quite odd."

"What are you thinkin'?" Tony asked, noticing that she seemed distracted, or lost in thought.

She looked over at him, "Huh? Oh, nothing. I… I will be right back, Tony."

"O…" She was walking to the elevator before he could finish the word, "…kay."

* * *

Ziva walked outside and began looking around for Tim. She walked around half of the building before finding him. He was sitting on a bench, just staring out… he didn't really seem to be focusing his attention on anything.

She stood there for a moment, just watching him. And, just like at the hospital, there was a mixture of emotions on his face. There was anger, sadness, and guilt all mixed together, making confusion.

She took a deep breath as she approached him. There were many reasons why she wasn't looking forward to this conversation, but it wasn't enough to stop her from having it.

He looked over at her as she sat down, "Hey," He said quietly.

"Hello, McGee… I know that you probably want to be alone right now, but I needed to talk to you."

"What about?" He asked curiously.

She held up a finger, "First, I must apologize. When I went to your house I… I invaded your privacy and I am sorry."

"What… What are you talking about, Ziva?"

She looked him straight in the eyes, "I read your journal, Tim."

* * *

**So, guess who survived the ACT? Me! Now, guess who is probably going to get the worst score EVER on the ACT? Also, me! I studied so hard for that, and I did really well on the practice tests, but when I got there it was just a complete blank. I really need some uplifting reviews to raise my spirits. Even if you just write one word, I don't care.**

** In brighter news: Guess whose parents surprised their daughter and bought her and Apple Macbook Pro on the same day she did horribly on the ACT? MINE! My parents rock!... And so does this computer!**

**In story news: Thank you so much for your reviews! You guys = the squg (let me know if you got that ;D).**


	17. The Three Conversations

"You what?" Tim asked, completely shocked.

"I read your journal when I picked up the items you needed from your house."

This was not helping him to cool down, "Why would you do that, Ziva?"

"When I went to your apartment it was quite… messy. I began picking some of the books off of your floor and it was lying there. I did not mean to snoop."

"What, it just happened?"

"It was lying open on the ground. It was not like I intentionally decided to read your personal thoughts."

"Then why did you?"

"Because when I saw it laying there, already open, I had to know."

"Know what?"

Ziva sighed, "It was something that Gerald said. He said that he had read your journal before and-"

"Wait a minute!" Tim exclaimed, "_He_ read it? How?"

"He went into all of our houses. You did not know?"

"No, I didn't." He was now furious, "Wh- Why wasn't I told?"

"Probably because you have been with Abby, and Gibbs did not think she should know about it."

Tim nodded and stood up, "That- that's great. Some freak was snooping around in my apartment, then my friend decided to go do the same thing! That's just great!"

_'Maybe this was not such a good time,'_ Ziva thought to herself… but it was too late to do anything about that now. She got up and stood in front of him, "Tim, would you let me finish? Please?"

He took a very deep breath, then let it out slowly, "Okay."

"Thank you." They both sat back down on the bench. "Gerald went to all of our homes, except Director Vance's, and he went through our things. He admitted to that when Tony interrogated him. He also said that you had secrets… sad secrets. And that your life did not turn out how you would have wanted."

"That doesn't mean you should go through my stuff," He mumbled.

"I thought you were going to let me finish?"

He remained silent, so she continued, "I must admit that I was curious as to what he meant. Tony was too-"

"You told Tony!" He exclaimed with wide eyes, "Why-"

"No! I did not tell Tony a thing. Be quiet!" She cleared her throat, "But, when I went to your apartment, I had no intention of reading your journal. I was not even thinking about it at the time. However, when I went to pick up the books on your floor, it was lying there… open. I did not know it was your journal at first, until I began reading. I could have stopped, and I should have, but I did not. I am sorry for that… Although I am pretty sure that you, or anyone else on the team would have done the same thing."

"I didn't know we investigated each other, Ziva."

Ziva couldn't help but laugh, "Oh, please! We do that all the time. More often than not, actually. Do you mean to tell me that if you would have been in my position, you would not have done the same thing?"

"No, I wouldn't."

"Liar."

Tim rolled his eyes, "Okay, I probably would. But that doesn't make it better."

"I know it does not."

They were both silent for a moment.

"Ziva, why did you even tell me this? I never would've known."

"I know that… But, I needed to know."

"What?"

"If you really meant those things that you wrote."

Tim sighed, "Which things?"

"That sometimes you feel like leaving NCIS. That you feel as though you are not respected as an agent, or as a human being in general… Those things."

Tim looked down at the ground, "I only write in that journal when I'm angry, when I've had a bad day, or when Tony's annoyed me to no end. When I write it, I mean it… But then I get over it and I move on."

"Why do you think you are not respected as an agent?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I told you it's just an 'at the moment' feeling." Tim looked at Ziva and could tell that his answer was not good enough. "Don't you ever get annoyed at this job? Have you ever gotten so angry that you wanted to leave it all behind?"

She nodded slowly, "Yes… I have."

"And what do you do when you feel that way?"

"I usually hurt the closest thing, or person, around me," She replied sadly.

"And I write it down. That's how I let my emotions out."

"So… is that your "sad secret"?"

"No."

Ziva was surprised at his quick and honest response.

Tim didn't see the point in lying… It seemed like too tiring of a task right now.

"Then, what is?" Ziva asked, then immediately realized it was an inappropriate thing to ask, "I am sorry, McGee, that is none of my business."

"No, it's okay," He smiled, "You already know most of it anyway." His smile faded much too soon, "I have another journal… Which, by the way, you better never tell Tony about. If he finds out then he'll never stop joking me about having two journals."

Ziva shook her head, "I would not tell," She raised two fingers, "Trouts honor."

"_Scouts._ Anyway, I haven't written in that one in a very long time. The last and only time I did, Kate was still alive… Um, you know that Abby and I had a… relationship a long time ago, right?"

Ziva nodded, "Yes, I was informed."

"Yeah," Tim replied, "Well, I wanted to be in a serious, committed relationship… Abby didn't. One night we went out and she kind of broke up with me… I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"She told me she wasn't ready to buy a full sized coffin."

"Oh."

Tim laughed, "It was stupid of me to do, but I was a lot younger then. I came home and wrote down how I pictured our life together. God, I was such a nerd."

"_Was_?" Ziva joked.

"I just never threw the journal away… I still read it from time to time, actually."

Ziva smiled, "There is nothing wrong, or nerdy, about writing down what you are feeling. _And_ there is nothing wrong with still feeling that way."

He sighed, "It's been almost seven years since then, Ziva. I shouldn't still be waiting."

"Then... _stop_ waiting."

* * *

Jimmy sat in a chair as Abby paced around the conference room.

"Uh… Um, do you want to sit down, Abby?"

"No. Where do you think Tim is? You don't think he left me do you? I bet he did! What if he did? Why would he leave me with them? Why wouldn't he? I was kinda mean. But-"

"Abby, I am sure McGee didn't leave. He is not the type of guy to do that."

She nodded and stopped pacing, "Yeah, you're right." She pulled out a chair and sat down, "But he wasn't acting like his normal self out there. So, what if different Tim did leave."

"Abbs, calm down."

"I don't know how."

Jimmy thought for a moment, "Come with me."

"What? Where? Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there."

* * *

Gibbs had a short conversation with Vance, saying that Tim and Abby had an argument and he was letting them cool off for a few minutes before the meeting… He made sure to leave out the details.

He went right from Vance to Ducky.

"Ah, Jethro, would you mind telling me why one moment I was discussing eighteenth century literature with Mr. Palmer, and the next moment I'm discussing it with myself?"

"Had a little mishap with Abby and McGee."

"Oh dear, I was afraid of this."

Gibbs eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"You're meaning they got into an argument, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Jethro, something has been bothering me since I visited your home the other night."

"What?"

"I've been thinking about Gerald as well. Reading some of the files we have on him and-"

"The point, Duck," Gibbs interrupted.

Ducky sighed, "Abigail was not the only torture victim, Jethro."

"She was the only one there, Ducky."

"I know that. I never said the other person was there."

"You're not making any sense, Du-"

"Timothy, Jethro! I am talking about Timothy."

* * *

***Minor spoiler for this weeks episode ahead***

** Ah! I can't believe Gibbs slept on the autopsy table again! He hasn't done that in forever... The writers must have read my story! lol (What? A girl can pretend!)**

**I can't believe all the reviews I got on the last chapter! So many people got the squg! YES! Seriously though, your reviews are like Caf-Pow to my system! They're like coffee is to Gibbs, or computers are to McGee, or girls are to Tony, or driving erratically is to Ziva, or... Oh, that's enough? Yeah, I think you get the point ;)**


	18. The Worry Builds

A few minutes later Tim came back inside. Ziva was already sitting at her desk, as she had left him to be alone for a while, after they talked.

"Is Abby still in the conference room?" He asked as he approached the bullpen.

"Should be," Tony replied.

Tim nodded and headed that way.

"McGee," Ziva called out as she quickly caught up to him.

"Yeah?"

"I know that what I did was wrong and I wanted to apologize for it."

Tim smiled, "You already did that."

"I know, but… you did not accept. Not that I expect you to or-"

"Ziva," He put a hand on her shoulder, "I accept. It was actually nice to be able to talk to someone about it."

"I am always here if you ever need, or just want, to talk some more."

"Thanks."

They went their separate ways. Ziva, back to her desk to get an annoying amount of questions from Tony. And Tim, to go find Abby and apologize for getting angry.

Tim opened the conference room door… There was a man and woman inside, but it wasn't Abby and Jimmy. It was another agent trying to calm down an angry woman.

"Sorry," Tim said and quickly exited the room. He began to worry. He hadn't been away from Abby in a long time, and now he had no idea where she might be.

He went all over trying to find her. He went down to the garage, to autopsy, cyber crimes unit, even MTAC. Then, he had a thought… and gave himself a Gibbs slap for not thinking of it first._ 'You idiot.'

* * *

_

Tim peaked his head into Abby's lab. She was sitting on her stool, tightly holding onto Bert. Jimmy was sitting beside her, where Tim usually sat. He was playing a game on the computer, and Abby was watching with a small smile on her face. She looked nervous, yet like she was enjoying the game.

He slowly entered the room, "Hi."

Jimmy turned around, "Oh, hi, McGee."

Abby slowly turned around to face Tim. She looked relieved and sad at the same time, "Hi," She said quietly.

Jimmy looked from Tim to Abby, then back to Tim, "Well, I'm gonna go talk to some corpses. Bye guys."

"Bye," They both replied.

Jimmy left the room, leaving Tim and Abby to themselves.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Neither one of them moved. Abby stayed in her stool, and Tim stood a few feet away.

Tim finally broke the silence, "I'm sorry, Abby. I shouldn't have blown up at you like that."

Abby shook her head and stood up, "It's not your fault, Timmy, it's mine. I shouldn't have talked to you that way. It wasn't fair. Not after all you've done for me. I'm the one that needs to apologize."

"But it still wasn't right for me to yell. I should have kept calm. I just forgot to think how hard all of this must be on you."

"No. It's hard on you too. You've given up a lot for me and I've done nothing to deserve that."

Tim took a few steps closer to her, "Nothing to deserve it? You're my best friend. I'd do anything for you, and I know you'd do the same. No matter what, I shouldn't have acted that way."

"Me either. You're my best friend too and I would do anything for you… but I wasn't being a good friend today. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry."

"No, I am."

Tim smiled, "This could go on forever, you know?"

Abby smiled as well, "I know, but I mean everything I said."

"So do I."

"So, I'm forgiven?" Abby asked.

"As long as I am," Tim replied.

She held out her arms, "Hug?"

"Of course."

* * *

A week passed by. The meeting with Vance had gone well, and Abby agreed to see someone… as long as Tim went with her.

Gibbs and Ducky decided not to tell Tim about their conversation they had had. True, Tim was a victim as well, but he didn't think of himself as one.

They also knew that Tim would be going to therapy with Abby, so there was no doubt he'd have to discuss his feelings at some point… even if he didn't know it yet.

* * *

Gibbs walked upstairs, a fresh cup of coffee in his hand. It was a little past seven o'clock in the morning. Two hours before Tim and Abby's first appointment with the therapist.

He walked to Tim and Abby's room, and slowly opened the door. They were both sound asleep, right beside one another. Abby had her hand clutched onto Tim's shirt, but she seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Tim was supposed to set the alarm before going to bed, but Abby went through one of her crying spells and they ended up falling asleep before he could.

Gibbs went over to the bed and began shaking Tim gently. He figured he better not touch Abby, as she still didn't seem to trust the rest of the team. "Tim," He whispered, "McGee."

Tim's eyes slowly opened, "Hmm?" He said, half out if it.

"Time to get up. You and Abby leave in a couple of hours."

Tim blinked repeatedly, trying to focus his eyes, "I forgot the alarm."

"I know…" Gibbs nodded in Abby's direction, "She's still asleep."

Tim looked over at her, then back to Gibbs, "I'll wake her up."

"Okay. I'll be downstairs. I don't leave for work until eight."

Gibbs left out of the room and Tim sighed. Being woken up by his boss, in his boss's house, in his boss's bed, while sleeping with his boss's pet, was not something he expected would ever happen in his lifetime… Although, most of his recent life was nothing like he expected.

Tim reached over and brushed some of the hair away from Abby's face, "Abbs," He said quietly, "Wake up, Abbs."

Her eyes popped open, "I'm awake."

"Sleep well?"

She nodded, "Once I went to sleep."

"Today's the day. You ready?"

Abby sighed, "No, not really. But, I guess so."

Tim gave her a reassuring smile, "It'll be fine… She won't make you talk about anything you're not comfortable with."

"I know…"

They were both silent for a moment as they laid on their sides, facing one another. Abby liked those moments when they first woke up every morning. That's when she felt safe and comfortable. She wished those moments could last forever.

"We better get up," Tim said, breaking the silence. There was a part of him that didn't want to get up either… actually, most of him didn't. But he knew that they had to.

* * *

Tony sat at his desk, staring at his computer screen. He wasn't actually doing anything. He seemed to be in another world.

"What are you thinking about, Tony?" Ziva asked. She had been watching him for quite some time, "Did you have a wild date last night?"

"No," Is all he replied.

"Then what is it?"

"Tim."

"Never mind. I do not want to know _those_ thoughts," Ziva joked.

Tony looked at Ziva, "I'm serious, Z."

"What about McGee?"

"Just thinking about him and Gerald in that room… you know, when Abby was first found."

"Mhm."

"Tim seemed so… torn up. I mean, I know we talked about how he probably shouldn't even have gone into that factory. But he was even worse off then I expected he would be. I didn't think much of it at the time because so much was going on… but now…."

"You are worried about him," Ziva finished.

Tony nodded, "Yeah."

"How long have you been thinking about this?"

"On and off since witnessing the fight between him and Abby. It made me remember how he acted when I found him… and he was about to shoot Gerald."

"Do you think all of this is too much on him?" Ziva asked, not quite sure where Tony was going with the conversation.

"I think this would be too much on anyone... but, with Abby being involved, Tim would be the last to admit that."

"Could that become dangerous?"

Tony sighed, "That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

Tim and Abby had only been out in the waiting room for a few minutes when they were called into the doctor's office.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Gideon, but you can call me Tara." She said with a smile as she shook their hands, "I'm not really a fan of titles."

Tim was about to introduce himself, but Tara beat him to it, "And you two are Timothy and Abigail, correct?"

"Yes," Tim replied. Abby was too nervous to speak. "But, you can call us Tim and Abby."

"Alright, sounds good," She walked around to her desk and sat down, "Please, make yourselves comfy. I don't have a couch, but if you want to sit sideways on the chair then be my guest… although it's probably really uncomfortable."

Tim smiled. He put his hand on Abby's back and led her to the two chairs that sat across from the doctor.

"How are we doing today?" Tara asked as they sat down.

"I'm good," Tim replied.

"And you, Abby?"

"Fine," She said quietly as she stared at the floor.

"That's good... A lot better than most of the people I see every day." Now it was time for the small talk to end, "Abby, I want to start off by saying that if you ever feel uncomfortable, or you want to change the subject, just let me know. I would never want you to feel like you have to talk about something when you don't want to talk about it. Okay?"

Abby nodded, still looking at the floor, "Okay."

"And if you ever need to lean on Tim, that's what he's here for."

Again, Abby nodded.

"Good. Let's get started. Why don't you tell me about the night you were kidnapped."

"T- T…" Abby cleared her throat. "Tim and I were watching a movie and we fell asleep."

"What movie?"

"'The Abyss'."

Tara nodded, "Good movie."

Abby finally looked up, feeling slightly more comfortable, "I woke up… and he was standing there. I think… I think he called out my name… that's what woke me up."

"Where was he?"

"Just a… few steps back from the couch. He… He was smiling," Abby said in disgust.

"What did you do?"

"I called out to Tim… but he couldn't hear me. I picked up a lamp and threw it at Joe… but he got out of the way."

"And then?"

Tears began forming in Abby's eyes, "I yelled to Tim again… hoping he'd wake up. I figured that he must have been drugged, but I screamed anyway."

Tara looked over at Tim. Now _he_ was looking down at the floor, seemingly deep in his own thoughts.

"Then…" Abby grabbed Tim's hand, bringing him back to reality, "Then he grabbed me, and threw me on the floor. He… He had a syringe and… he… I became paralyzed. I couldn't move or yell or anything. I knew what was happening, but I couldn't do anything about it," Her grip on Tim's hand became tighter and tighter, "Then… everything went black."

Tara could tell that Abby was tensing. "I think we've gone far enough for today," She said with a smile. They hadn't been there for very long, but it didn't matter. There was no need to keep them there for longer than what was necessary. "We can pick this up at your next appointment. Does that sound good?"

Abby nodded, "Okay."

* * *

The ride back to Gibbs' house was a quiet one. Neither of them felt like talking.

Tim wasn't sure how he was going to do this. How was he supposed to handle the guilt of knowing every single thing that happened to Abby? He could barely handle the little bits that he already knew.

* * *

**Who else is super excited for next weeks episode? I watched the thirty second promo and I saw a lot of pieces that had Abby and Tim together... Gibbs was there too, but still! It's a big deal to have Tim and Abby in the same room now (unfortunately). I'm hoping for some McAbby! I'm also hoping that this gamer girl doesn't just use McGee as about 98% of his past girlfriends have. That would be a major bummer. I'm a helpless McAbby fan, but I still don't like it when other girls just use Timmy. It's not right.**

**Now that that's out of my system: Let me know what you think about the chapter or I'll Gibbs slap you. Your choice ;)**


	19. The Need To Talk

The house was quiet, everyone was fast asleep. It was just a little past midnight, all of them had been in bed for a few hours now.

Abby began tossing and turning, waking Tim.

"No, no, no. Stop it," She began mumbling. Then the mumbling turning into yelling, "No! Please, stop!"

"Abby. Abby," Tim repeated calmly, "It's okay, Abbs. Wake up."

"No! No! Don't!"

Tim sat up and took a hold of her shoulders, "Abby, wake up," He said firmly, "You're okay."

She gasped as her eyes popped open, tears immediately started to fall, "He… He had a knife. He was… gonna hurt me."

Tim pulled her into a hug, "It's okay, Abbs. He can't hurt you anymore."

"I hate… dreaming about him."

"I know you do. I hate that you dream about him."

"He hurt me, Timmy."

Abby had gone to five therapy sessions now. She had begun to talk more openly to Tim about her nightmares, and about what really happened while she was with Gerald… and Tim continued to feel more and more guilty about it.

Tara had noticed how Tim acted when he heard the things that happened to Abby. She could see the guilt and pain that he tried to hide. She knew that she needed to talk to him alone, but first she had to get Abby comfortable enough to leave his side.

"I know he did, Abby. I'm so sorry he hurt you."

Yes, the therapy had helped Abby to be more open, but it had also caused an increased amount of nightmares. Every night, sometimes twice, Tim would have to wake her from a nightmare. It was very tiring on both of them.

"Will it ever go away, Tim?" She asked as she cried in his arms.

"What?"

"The pain… Will it ever… go away?"

Tim sighed, "I don't know, Abbs. I don't know."

* * *

"Did you have another nightmare?" Tara asked as they sat in her office.

Abby nodded.

"What was it about?"

"He… He had a knife and… he was trying to cut my leg."

"Just like he did when you were with him?"

Again, Abby nodded.

"Did you go back to sleep afterwards?"

"Yes. It took about an hour, though."

Tara smiled, "That's something to be happy about. I remember just two sessions ago you said it would take up to four hours sometimes… And that was on a good night."

"I'm… I'm still scared though. It's hard for me to fall asleep cause… I'm afraid of dreaming."

"That's natural. It's not something that will last forever. This is all still very fresh in your mind so you're going to have nightmares about it." Tara felt it was time for a 'for instance', "When I was in eighth grade I saw a little boy get hit by a car while he was riding his bike. It was… bad, to say the least. I had nightmares about it for a year. I was terrified to close my eyes cause I knew that the second I did, I'd see that little boy getting hit again. Then, one night, I went out with a few friends, and this boy that I liked. He gave me my first kiss. That night I closed my eyes and I didn't dream about that little boy being hit by the car. I dreamt about Tommy."

Abby stared at her for a moment, "So, if I make out with someone I'll be good?" She asked… half joking.

Tara laughed, "No. But, people often dream about something they've experienced. One day something great will happen, and you'll dream about that instead of having a nightmare. I can't guarantee it, but it happens a lot. I can't say that once you go one night without dreaming about your experience, then you'll never dream about it again… Sometimes I still dream about that little boy, but not as much as I used to. Time doesn't heal all wounds, but it does make those wounds easier to deal with."

"Time… How much time?"

"That I can't answer for you, unfortunately."

"I wish you could," Abby replied sadly.

They were all silent for a moment. "Why don't we talk about your friends?" Tara began.

"What… What friends?"

"The people you hang out with. I heard that you are very close with your co-workers?"

Abby shook her head, "No. No, we're not close."

Tim looked over at her, a confused look on his face, but he remained silent and waited for an explanation.

"Really? How come?"

"Because… they lie."

"What do they lie about?"

"They pretend to care about me. All of them. They tell me they care, but they don't. They just say it so they can use me later on." Abby took a deep breath, "It doesn't matter. I don't care about them either. I just want them to go away and stop pretending."

Tim wasn't sure what to think. He had heard her say things like that before, but not in this manner. When she said it before, she was either crying, screaming, or doing both. This time she was controlled. You could hear the anger in her voice, but she didn't raise her voice, or cry, or seem afraid at all.

"Have you always felt this way?" Tara asked.

Abby thought for a moment. She remembered loving the rest of the team. Giving them hugs, worrying about them, and making them smile. It all seemed like a big blur… but she remembered, "No," She replied softly, the anger disappearing from her voice.

"What made you start feeling that way? Did they do something to you?"

She shook her head, "No… I don't… I don't think so. They always seemed… to love me."

"They do love you," Tim said, speaking for the first time during one of the sessions.

Abby looked over at him, then back to Tara, "They can't. They can't love me. They just… They just use me."

"What made you start feeling this way?" Tara re-asked.

Abby began breathing heavily, "I was… I was with Joe. He… He told me that they used me. He told me that they really didn't care. If they cared… then they would have found me sooner. They all stopped looking. All of them, except for Tim."

Tim's eyebrows furrowed, "That's not true. They never stopped looking for you. Not one of them."

"But you were the one to find me. Even Tony said it in the hospital!"

"Yes, I was the one that figured out where you were, and I was the one who got to you first, but I got to you first because I broke protocol… the others never stopped looking for you, Abby. Never."

Abby began to panic, "I just… I don't… It's so confusing and… he said…" Tears began to fall from Abby's eyes, "Can we please… stop for today?"

"Yes, that's fine," Tara replied, "We'll continue at our next session."

Tim and Abby got up to leave. "Abby," Tara said, "Would you mind if I talked to Tim alone for a moment?"

Abby looked over at Tim, who was looking even more confused than before, "I…"

"You can sit right outside of the door. It'll just take a couple of minutes."

Abby thought for a moment, "O… Okay, I guess… Don't take long, Timmy."

"I won't."

Abby went out of the room and Tara closed the door behind her.

"Um, what do you need to talk to me about?" Tim asked, becoming nervous.

Tara smiled as she sat back down in her chair, "Please, have a seat."

Tim sat down.

"Up until today you have remained silent throughout the sessions. Why is that?"

"I… I'm just here so Abby will come. She's the one that needs to talk to you."

"You don't think you need to talk? After all you were the one who had to talk to Abby every day while she was missing. That had to be difficult for you."

"Well, it wasn't fun."

"How did you feel when you talked to her?"

"Is this really important?"

Tara nodded, "Yes, it is."

Tim sighed, "I… I felt like a failure."

"Why?"

"Because I… if I wouldn't have fallen asleep that one night then… I would have been able to help her. So every time I talked to her on the phone it reminded me of that… and it reminded me that another day had gone by without being able to find her."

"How do you feel now?"

Tim really wasn't sure why he was so easily opening up to a woman he hardly knew, but he needed to talk… so he did, "Every time I see her, or hear her, I'm reminded of how I failed. I hate hearing her cry, I hate hearing what happened to her, I hate the fact that I have to sleep with her _just_ because she's too scared to sleep alone."

Tara understood, "You don't like to see her hurting because you feel responsible for it."

Tears filled in Tim's eyes as the he thought about the phone calls he had had with Abby, "I _am_ responsible for it."

"No, Tim, you're not. If anything, you're the one who kept her going. When she looks at you, she's sees a hero, not a man that caused her pain. Gerald is the one responsible for that."

"I'm not a hero."

"To Abby, you are. You've helped her so much, Tim. You've stood beside her when all you have felt like doing is running away. You should not feel guilty for saving her life, Tim."

Tim was silent for a moment, "I… I better go. She'll start to worry."

"Okay. Have a good day."

Tim went to leave, then he turned back around to Tara, "Thank you."

She smiled, "You're welcome, Tim."

* * *

A few minutes after they got to Gibbs' house, Jimmy called on Tim's cell asking if it was okay for him to come over. He had been coming over every couple of days to sit with Abby and give Tim a little break. She would allow Tim to leave the room if Jimmy was there, as long as he wasn't gone for too long. Although Jimmy had been doing this for a while, he always called to ask if it was okay first.

Fifteen minutes later he was at the house… with Gibbs, who had decided to tag along. Jimmy looked flustered, and relieved to no longer be alone in the car with Gibbs.

"Hi, Abby. How are you?" Jimmy asked as he walked over to the couch, where Abby was sitting.

"I'm fine. You're here earlier than usual."

"No bodies. It's been kinda slow lately. Dr. Mallard let me leave early."

Tim came out of the kitchen, the only place he was allowed to go when Abby was in the living room, and handed her a glass of water. "Hey, Jimmy…" He looked over to the hallway and saw Gibbs standing there, "…Boss."

Jimmy said hello then began talking to Abby again.

Tim walked over to Gibbs, "You're not working a case?"

"Nothing major." Gibbs walked away from Tim, leaving him confused. He walked over to Abby and asked her a question that Tim couldn't hear.

At first Abby didn't respond, then Jimmy said something to her and she nodded. Gibbs gave her a little smile, then walked back over to Tim, "Come on," He said as he headed for the door, car keys in hand.

"Wh- what do you mean, Boss?"

"I mean, come on. We need to talk."

* * *

**Okay, I have a question (mainly because I'm nosey). What do you wish the season finale would be about? And, what do you think the finale will be about?**

** I wish it would be about Tim and/or Abby, but I think it will have something to do with the recurring girl that will be on the show soon (that Tony will be attracted to), and Ziva's boyfriend Ray.**

** Thank you all for the reviews :) As _ladybugsmama_ said: Your reviews are like toothpicks are to Vance. ;)**


	20. The Walk In The Park

Tim sat quietly in the passenger seat as Gibbs drove. He had no idea where they were going, why they were going there, and what Gibbs wanted to talk about. Tim was nervous… to say the least.

Gibbs noticed the tension in the air, but he expected it. Out of the three agents, Tim always seemed the least comfortable when it was just them two.

Gibbs had been wanting to speak with Tim for a while now… Well, ever since he and Ducky had talked about Tim also being a victim. Gibbs never saw it, and he couldn't stand that fact. He always thought he could read his agents perfectly, and most of the time he could, but it wasn't until the moment that Ducky told him Tim was also a torture victim that Gibbs realized he knew very little about him. Tim had been working for him for over a year longer than Ziva, yet he knew a lot more about her.

When Gibbs heard that Jimmy was going to visit Abby, he knew that was his opportunity to talk to Tim. Not necessarily about Abby being kidnapped, or how Tim felt about it, but just to talk. To get to know him better. That's what Gibbs wanted.

Gibbs parallel parked in a spot by the sidewalk, at the park.

"Boss?… Uh, what are we doing here?"

Gibbs shrugged, "Figured we'd take a walk. You've barely been out of the house, except to take Abby to therapy, so I thought you might like getting some fresh air." Gibbs opened his car door and stepped out, "You comin'?" He asked as he shut his car door.

Tim took a deep breath and got out of the car. He walked around the front of the car and joined Gibbs on the sidewalk.

"Nice day," Tim said as they began walking.

"Yupp."

There was an awkward silence that Tim felt the need to fill, "We, uh… We shouldn't be gone for too long. Abby might start to worry."

"Abby's fine, McGee. I asked her if she'd be alright with Palmer, and she said yes."

Another awkward silence that, again, Tim filled, "Anything new at work?"

Gibbs sighed. Getting to know Tim was going to be harder than he thought, "Tim, I'm not a very deep guy, but I consider my team as my family… and I like to know my family. I know more about your little sister than I know about you, McGee. Just talk about yourself. Tell me something about you."

Tim's eyes darted back and forth as he thought about what Gibbs just said. He wasn't sure how to respond, so he didn't… at first.

"I still think about Lt. Benedict," Tim finally replied.

"Who?" Gibbs asked, remembering the name, but not being able to place it.

"The undercover detective I shot six years ago… I still think about him sometimes. I wonder if I was the one who fired the kill shot, and I hate that I'll never know."

"We all have things that plague us, McGee. It comes with the job," Gibbs replied, understandingly.

"Yeah," Tim cleared his throat before continuing, "I was seven the first time I was bullied… like _really_ bullied. My second grade teacher, Mrs. Young, was showing us a sixth grade math problem, just to let us see what we'd be learning in a few years. She put up the wrong answer… She had just mixed up two of the numbers, no big deal. She knew the answer, she just wrote wrong. I raised my hand and, when she called on me, I corrected her. I didn't think anything of it the rest of the day, but when I went to school the next day she had moved my desk to a separate corner in the room. She wrote 'Human Calculator' on a piece of paper and taped it to the back of my desk, claiming that it was a _positive_ thing to do… but all it did was give the kids another reason to make fun of me… That's when I started stuttering. Ever since then, for years, authority figures made me nervous."

Gibbs nodded, "No kid should be treated that way."

"Nope… but once I got older and I decided who and what I wanted to be, I thought of her every time I wanted to quit. She hated me and, in my mind, she would have loved for me to fail, so I knew that I couldn't. I had to be the best I could be," Tim laughed, "Just to tick her off."

"Good way of lookin' at it."

There were nearing a bench, "Mind if we sit?"

Gibbs shook his head, "Not at all."

They both sat down on the bench, "Is this really stuff you wanna hear, Boss? My life isn't all that interesting. I wasn't born an assassin, I don't hate my dad, I didn't have alligators in my back yard, and I never served in the Royal Army Medical Corps… I was just a nerd that spent too much time behind a computer screen."

"Doesn't matter who you _weren't _and _aren't_. I just wanna know who you were… and are."

"Why, though?"

"I told you why."

"No. I know you said that you like to know your family, and you consider your team family, but I mean why _now_? It's kind of a random time."

Gibbs sighed, "Cause I didn't see it."

"See what?"

"When Tony's upset, I know it. When Ziva's upset, I know it. Any of them! I know my teams moods. I know how you all act… or I thought I did. But I didn't see that you were hurting just as much as Abby is. I know you talked to me about it some that one night, but I still didn't see the full picture… And when I finally _did_ see it, it made me realize that I don't know you half as well as I know the rest of the team."

"I never really noticed before, but we don't talk that much do we?"

"Not outside of whatever case we're workin' on at the time."

Tim decided that if information about his life, no matter how boring it may be, is what Gibbs wanted… then he'd give him that, "Amber Intera was the first girl I ever went out on a date with. Thought I loved her, but I didn't really… Just a _major_ case of puppy love. We went out three times, then she… _developed_ and started dating pretty much every guy on the football team."

"Women," Gibbs replied.

Tim nodded, "Mhm… First woman I ever _really_ loved," He smiled as he thought back, "She's pretty amazing. I thought we were made for each other. I couldn't wait to be in a committed, real relationship with her… She didn't feel the same way."

"Talkin' bout Abby?" Gibbs asked casually.

Tim's eyes widened as he looked over at Gibbs, "I, um… Wh- why would you-"

"You said 'she's' not 'she was'. Abby's the only person, that I can think of, that you loved and still love."

"Boss, I- I mean, um," He couldn't help the stutter that forced its return.

"I may not know you as well as I thought, McGee, but I'm not blind. It's not new information."

"But, you never mentioned it before… With rule twelve, I-"

"Speaking for _all_ of the rules…" Gibbs shrugged, "Sometimes they're meant to be broken."

* * *

Jimmy and Abby had been playing cards for a while when there was a knock on the door.

Jimmy got up, "I'll get it." Abby stood up and quickly followed behind him.

"Hey, Ziva," Jimmy said with a smile as he opened the door.

"Hello, Jimmy, how are you?"

"I'm good. Come in."

Ziva came inside. Abby stood a little ways back with a blank expression on her face.

"Hello, Abby. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

Jimmy noticed the tension, "Why don't we all go sit in the living room."

"That sounds good. Where is Gibbs and McGee?"

"They went out for a little bit. They should be back any time."

"Oh."

Jimmy and Ziva sat on the couch, but Abby remained standing, "I- I'm kind of tired. I'm gonna… go lay down."

"Are you sure?" Jimmy asked, "Do you need me to go with you?"

Abby shook her head, "N- No. I'm fine." She turned around and headed upstairs.

"That's odd," Jimmy said to Ziva.

"Not really. She is not comfortable around me yet."

"Oh yeah, I forgot."

Ziva sighed, "…I wish I could."

Ziva didn't want to go back to work yet. There wasn't any big case, just cold cases, and Tony was being extra Tony-like, so she and Jimmy began playing cards.

* * *

Half an hour passed without any noise from upstairs… Then, "Tim! Timmy!" Abby began shrieking.

Both Ziva and Jimmy jumped up and ran upstairs.

Abby was curled up in a ball on the bed. They couldn't tell whether she was awake or asleep.

"Tim!" She screamed, "Help me!"

* * *

**Okay, a couple of things. One: I used the "alligator in my backyard" thing cause when Abby said it, Tim thought it was weird... However, I never got why it seemed so odd, cause I have them in my backyard too... Which always stopped me and my sisters from camping out in the back yard.**

**Two: I'm leaving for vacation on Thursday and there is about a 99% chance I will not be able to update until Monday. It was kind of a spur of the moment vacation where we have little time to prepare (We usually prepare at least a month ahead. This time we had about three days.) So, unless I get a lot of down time on the vacation, I won't be able to update. I hate that I won't be able to cause I love writing this story lol.**

**Three: I didn't want to take Gibbs too out of character, but I needed him to speak more than he does on the show haha  
**

**Anyway, thanks for reading. Review and let me know what you think. I rule #8. (look it up, if you don't already know it, and you'll get it ;D)**


	21. The Turning Point

Ziva rushed over to Abby, "Abby, you are okay," She said as she held onto Abby's shoulders.

"Timmy!" Abby's eyes were open, but she didn't seem to be looking at anything, so Ziva knew she was still asleep.

"Abby! Abby, wake up," Ziva said firmly.

"He's hurting me!"

"No! No he is not. You are at Gibbs house. You need to wake up. You are fine."

Abby gasped and started looking around the room frantically, "Where's Tim?" She asked as she began to cry.

"He is still out with Gibbs."

Abby jerked away from Ziva's grasp, "I- I need Tim. I need Tim!" She started to hyperventilate, "Only Tim cares. He's the… only one who can help."

"Abby, you must calm down."

"No! Go away!" Abby shouted, "Just get away from me."

Ziva turned back to Jimmy, who was standing in the doorway, "Would you please leave us alone or a minute?"

"Should I call…?"

She shook her head.

He nodded and left.

"Get away from me! You don't care!"

"I know it hurts," Ziva began as she sat on the side of the bed, ignoring Abby's screams for her to leave, "I know what it is like to not understand what you are feeling-"

"Shut up!"

"I know what it is like to hate falling asleep because the moment you close your eyes you see him, and the only time you feel okay is that _one second_ when you first wake up every morning-"

Abby's lip trembled, "You don't understand," She replied, no longer screaming.

"I did not go through exactly what you did, but I do understand. Your brain is thinking one way, but your heart is thinking another and it confuses you to no end. When your thinking with your brain, your heart tells you something else, and when you think with your heart, your brain tells you that you are wrong. All you want is to know the truth but you don't know which part of your body is lying to you. I do understand."

"But… he- he told me… he told me that-"

"That the people you loved and cared about most did not care about you. And he made you believe you did not care about us as well. He told you this when you were at your weakest points. When he was hurting you. At first you did not believe it. But he made you say it, over and over until you did not recognize the truth any more."

"What… what am I supposed to do?" Abby asked, tears streaming down her face.

"He lied to you, Abby. He tried to change the way you think. He played with your brain, but he can not change your heart. You know the truth. Your heart knows that Tony, Ducky, Gibbs and I all care about you, and that you care about us… You just need to listen. No one can snap their fingers and restore your old way of thinking. Only you can do that."

"Joe… Joe's winning."

"No," Ziva replied quickly, "No, he is not. Joe is dead, Abby. What he _wanted_ is to win, but he will not. I will not let that happen. No one will."

"I hate… what he's done to me," Abby said pitifully. She put her head in her hands and began to sob.

Ziva moved over closer to Abby, putting her arms around her… She hoped Abby would not pull away from the hug.

At first, Abby didn't move. She didn't return the hug, but she didn't move away. After a few seconds, Abby slowly put her arms around Ziva. They stayed that way for ten minutes, neither of them speaking. Abby cried, and Ziva comforted her, nothing needed to be said.

* * *

Ziva was coming down the stairs as Tim and Gibbs entered the front door.

"Hello," She said with a smile.

"Hi," Tim replied, slightly confused as to why she was there.

Gibbs decided to ask, "What are you doing here, Ziva?"

She shrugged, "Not much going on at work. I wanted to see Abby."

"How is she?" Tim asked.

"It did not begin well," Ziva replied, "But she is okay now. I made her some hot tea. She is drinking it now."

"She- She let you make something for her?" Tim asked in shock.

"Yes, she did… She told me that she wanted to be alone for a few minutes, but I am sure she would not mind a visit from you, Tim."

Tim nodded. He turned back to Gibbs, "Thanks, Boss," He said in reference to their talk.

Gibbs patted Tim's shoulder, "Thank you, Tim. Go see Abby."

"Okay." He headed up the stairs.

"What happened, Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

"She had a nightmare. We talked. She cried. She screamed. We talked some more. And now she is drinking my tea."

"You're very thorough," Gibbs replied with dry sarcasm.

* * *

Tim knocked on the cracked door before going in.

"Did you forget something, Ziva?"

Tim pushed the door open, "It's not Ziva," He said with a sheepish grin.

Abby smiled, "Timmy! Come here!" She said happily as she held her arms out for a hug.

He walked over to her and sat beside her, gladly accepting the hug.

"Whoa," He said with a laugh as she squeezed him tightly, "I wasn't gone _that_ long."

"I missed you."

"I miss you, too, Abbs."

"Yeah, right. You were probably thrilled to get a break from me."

Tim pulled back from her enough to look her in the eyes, "That's not true."

"Tim, I love you, but it's always good to have a break from people… Even people you care about."

Tim smiled, "It was nice to get out… but I did miss you." Tim turned and leaned his back against the bed. He put one arm around Abby and she scooted close to his side. "What did you and Ziva do?" He asked curiously.

"I had one of my nightmares while you were gone. I had come up to sleep for a while cause… I- I didn't want to be around Ziva," She looked ashamed for a moment, but then she continued, "Anyway, she helped me… a lot."

"That's… great," Tim said happily.

"Yeah." They were both quiet for a moment, "You know what I think, Timmy?"

"Hmm?"

"Joe was a big jerk."

Tim could think of some other words to use, but he didn't go there, "Yes," He sighed, "Yes he was."

* * *

**Okay, so I'm a liar! haha I didn't mean to be though. I ended up writing this on the way to our hotel and now I have a little break, so I'm posting!**

**Enjoy! And review to let me know what you think ;)**


	22. The Forgiving Hearts Of A Family

A full nights sleep… Something that didn't exist seem Tim or Abby anymore, until now. For the first time since she was rescued, they both slept peacefully throughout the whole night. They couldn't hardly believe it when they woke up the next morning. It was almost as exciting as Christmas morning is to a child.

* * *

Tim was busy getting ready in the bathroom. He was already dressed, he just had to brush his teeth and hair. The door was open so if Abby needed him, she could come right in.

Abby walked to the bathroom and leaned against the doorway.

"You okay?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, I just… I need to ask a favor."

"Name it."

"Can we go into NCIS today? I have a few people that I think I need to talk to."

Tim turned to her, "Really? You really want to go?"

She nodded.

"As soon as you're ready we'll go," He said happily and eagerly.

She walked up to him and kissed his cheek, "Thank you, Timmy… for everything."

"Anytime."

* * *

Abby was both nervous and excited as she and Tim rode the elevator up to the squad room. Upon Abby's request, Tim hadn't called ahead. She said that she wanted it to be a surprise, but she was really afraid that no one would want to talk to her.

Tony looked up as they walked to the bullpen, "Abbs! What are you doing here?" He asked with a smile.

"Hi, Tony. I wanted to come in."

Abby looked over to Ziva, who was sitting at her desk, "Hey, Ziva."

Ziva smiled, "Hello, Abby."

"It's okay, I don't need a hello," Tim joked.

"Oh, McJealous, calm down."

"Where's Gibbs?" Abby asked.

"He went to get coffee," Ziva replied.

"Oh… I'll talk to him letter then." She turned her attention back to Tony, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course. Wanna talk here?"

She shook her head, "Conference room?"

"Conference room it is."

"Want me to stay here?" Tim asked.

"Um…" She took a deep breath, "Yeah, I'll be okay."

"Alright," He smiled, "I'll be at my desk."

She nodded, then she and Tony headed for the conference room.

* * *

Tony sat down, but Abby remained standing. "I just… I know I've been… uh, I don't really know how to say this right."

"This is me you're talkin' to Abbs," Tony said, pointing to himself, "The king of Gibbs head slaps. Nothing you say will be wrong to me."

Abby smiled, _'Tony cares,'_ She thought. "I know I've been ignoring you like crazy since I… I was rescued. I'm sorry."

"Abbs, you don't have to apologize."

"I need to though," She sat down in the chair closest to Tony, "I stopped trusting you and I shouldn't have."

"You didn't have a choice. He forced you to think that way. You don't have to apologize to me."

"But… if I did need to apologize, you'd accept, right?"

Tony smiled, "Yes, I would definitely accept."

"Good."

Abby stood up, as did Tony. They began to walk out of the room, but then Abby stopped. She turned back around to him and gave him a hug, which he gladly returned.

"Love you, Abbs."

"You too, Tony."

* * *

Next was Ducky. Abby had Tim go down to autopsy with her, "Will… Will you wait out here?" She asked as they stepped out of the elevator.

"Sure will."

Abby walked into autopsy. Ducky and Palmer were busy working on paperwork. They both looked up at the same time.

"Abby!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Jimmy!" Abby mocked.

"Hello, Abigail," Ducky said.

"The Duck man," She smiled, "I need to talk to you."

"Of course, my dear. Mr. Palmer, would you mind…?"

He nodded understandingly, "I think it's time for my lunch break… at 9am…"

Abby took a hold of Jimmy's arm as he passed her, "Thank you, Jimmy."

"You're very welcome."

Jimmy left, leaving Abby to talk to Ducky.

"I haven't seen you much lately, Ducky."

"Yes, I know."

"That's what I wanted though."

"I know that as well."

Tears formed in Abby's eyes, "I don't want that anymore, Ducky."

He smiled and walked up to her, taking hold of her arms, "Nor do I, Abigail."

Abby quickly pulled Ducky into a hug, "I've missed you... and your stories."

"And I've missed you... and your pigtails."

They both laughed. "I wish I could stay longer," Abby said as the hug ended, "But I still need to see someone else."

"I understand, my dear. We will have plenty of time to catch up."

She smiled, "Bye, Ducky."

"Goodbye, Abigail."

* * *

Tim and Abby headed back to the squad room.

There was Gibbs, sitting at his desk, staring at his computer.

"Hi, Gibbs," Abby said as she slowly walked over to him.

"Hey, Abby. I heard you were here."

She put her hands on her hips and looked over at Tony.

"It's hard for me to keep good news a secret," Tony defended.

"Mhm," She turned back to Gibbs, "Do you have time to talk?"

"Sure do."

"Your office?"

"Okay," He stood up and began to walk to the elevator, "Tim?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Fix my computer. It's been acting like an idiot for a week."

Tim cringed wondering what Gibbs might have done to the computer during the past week, "Yes, Boss."

* * *

Abby and Gibbs entered the elevator. As soon as the doors closed and the elevator began moving, Abby flipped the switch. "I'm not… I'm not sure what to say to you," Abby began as she stared at the floor.

Gibbs looked straight at her, "You don't have to say anything," He said calmly.

Tears began falling from Abby's eyes. She turned and looked at him for a moment before quickly wrapping her arms around him, giving him the biggest hug she could manage.

"I love you, Gibbs."

He kissed the top of her head, "I love you, too, Abbs," He said quietly, holding back the urge to cry at finally starting to get the real Abby back.

* * *

**Short chapter, I know! Me and my parents came back to the hotel to rest, so I decided to write! **

**I made each of the talks short (because I don't think she'd need to give big explanations), but I made her and Gibbs' talk especially short, cause I don't think they'd have to say anything to each other (except the 'I love you's', of course).**

**Little warning: We're nearing the end of the story... Not there yet, but soon my darlings :( **

**No worries ;) I have other stories already brewing in my mind!**


	23. The Beginning Of The End

A week passed. Things were going really well. Abby still had nightmares, which Tim always had to help her through. But, during the occasional crying spells, she did let others besides Tim help her.

Even though it was hard to see Abby sad, things were so much easier. Tim was still her safety net. She didn't like him being away from her for too long, but she wasn't afraid of the rest of the team anymore. She talked to them, told them when and why she was crying, or what her nightmares were about. They were no longer left in the dark, just wondering what was going on in her mind. They knew now, and it made it a lot easier to help out.

* * *

This was it. She knew it was time. She and Tim had talked about it already, and she decided it would be best if it came from her.

She slowly walked down into the basement. She looked over and saw Gibbs working on his boat with a small jar of bourbon set beside him.

He had heard her coming down the stairs, but didn't look away from the boat until he felt her staring, "What is it, Abbs?" He asked with slight concern.

She walked down the last step, "Nothing…. Well, something… but it's not a bad something… it's a good something… at least I think it's a good something, but not good as in 'Yes! This is great!', but more of a 'This is something I need to do' so, I mean, if-"

"Abby, what is it?" Gibbs re-asked with less concern in his voice this time.

She took a deep breath, "It's time for me to fly the coop, Gibbs."

He stared at her for a moment, "You sure?"

She nodded, "I'm not gonna to be going to my apartment… I'm not ready for that yet. I'm gonna be staying with Timmy."

"Does he know that?" He asked, sort of joking.

She laughed, "We talked about it last night before going to sleep."

"He doesn't have a couch."

"Well, I also talked to Vance… this morning on the phone. I'm going to be starting back at work soon… So is Tim. We won't really be at his apartment much. I just don't like being alone at night."

Gibbs nodded, "You know you and Tim are welcome to stay here as long as you need to."

"I know," She walked over to the boat and began picking up the tools that Gibbs had laying out, just staring at each one, "But, I think I need to go. I've become so comfortable here that I think if I don't leave soon, I never will."

They were both silent for a moment.

"I understand," Gibbs replied.

She looked up at him, "You do?"

"I do."

"You do?"

"Abbs," Gibbs stopped the forthcoming endless cycle before it started.

"Right. Sorry, I just- You're okay with this then?"

"Yes, I am."

She smiled, "Okay. Good." She began making her way back up the stairs.

"But don't make yourself a stranger," Gibbs called out.

Abby's smile widened, "Never," She called back.

* * *

_Two days later…_

Tim unlocked his door and held it open for Abby. She walked in and began looking around. Her eyes were suddenly drawn to the living room, "You got a couch!"

He came in behind her and put down her bags that he was carrying, "Tony and I picked it up yesterday. It's just a loveseat… but that's all that would fit in here."

"That's what you were really doing when you told me you had to help Tony fix his TV?"

"Well, I had to do that too. But, that only took a few minutes."

She walked over to the loveseat and sat down, staring at the brown cloth, "You didn't have to buy this just because I'm gonna be here."

He shrugged, "I needed one anyway."

He decided not to tell her that he and Tony also had to finish cleaning up his apartment. Ziva had done some of it, but there was still some work to be done. Now all the books were back in order and Abby would have no idea that he ever threw such a big fit.

"It looks good in here… and it's comfy."

He sat down beside her, "Yes, it is."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Are you sure you don't mind me staying here?" Abby asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"I thought we already talked about this, Abbs? You know it is."

"I just… You've had to put up with me for so long, and now you're finally getting to come back to your apartment, yet you're still stuck with me."

"I'm not _stuck _with you, Abby. I've chosen to let you stay here. I like having you around... Plus, it's not like you've never stayed here before."

"...Not for more than a couple of nights at a time," Abby replied.

"I didn't mind you then, I don't mind you now."

Abby smiled, "It'll just be for a little while… until I'm comfortable sleeping alone. I'm just not there, yet."

"Once again, I don't mind. You're a lot nicer to cuddle than Jethro is."

Abby laughed, then suddenly stopped, "Hey! Where is Jethro? I never even thought to ask."

"He's been with Sarah. I was gonna pick him up tomorrow night, after work."

She leaned her head back against the loveseat, "I forgot about work," She groaned.

"Nervous?"

She nodded.

"Don't be. It'll be fine."

She sighed, "I hope you're right."

* * *

**Wrote this on my way home from vacation. I also wrote the last chapter, and part of the chapter that comes after this one... So, I already know the ending Muahahahaha (extremely long, evil laugh ;D). **

**I can't believe I have over 200 reviews! This goes way past my old record of 124. You guys are awesome! Big hugs to all of you!**

**Oh, if you all have a youtube, add me as a friend. I'm _CJSmith8793_. I make a lot of McAbby videos ;)**


	24. The Days Get Easier

The elevator door opened, "Welcome back!" Tony yelled as he stood right in front of the elevator.

"It has been one day, Tony," Ziva said, slightly shocked by the welcome.

"That wasn't meant for you. It was for Abby and the little McProbieMan."

Ziva smiled, "Aw. I knew you missed Abby, but you have been missing your little boy toy too."

Tony glared at her, "He's not my boy toy… He's just funner to play pranks on then you are."

"Yes. How is your back healing?"

"I'll let you know when I can feel it."

She shrugged, "You should not have jumped out at me like that."

"I didn't _jump_ out at you. I wasn't even playing a prank on you then. I was walking by the bathroom door as you walked out of it."

"You two done?" A voice sounded beside them.

Tony turned around to see Tim and Abby standing there.

Tony smiled from ear to ear, "You're here!" He gave Abby a big hug. Then, to Tim's surprise, Tony gave him one, too. "Why didn't you use the elevator? I had the whole welcome planned."

"We tried," Tim began, "But it would never come… I see why now."

They all stared back at Ziva. "What?" She looked around her and saw that she was standing in the way of the elevator doors, "Oh, I see." She moved and the elevator doors closed, "There you go," She said with a smile.

She walked over to Tim and Abby and gave them both hugs, "I am glad to see you both back. You have been poorly missed."

"_Sorely_," Tony corrected quickly, "She means sorely!"

"Whatever!" Ziva fluffed him off, "Gibbs is waiting for you in your lab. You are supposed to go with her, McGee."

"Okay," Tim replied.

Abby was quiet, because she was nervous, but you could tell she was happy to be back.

"How did you know that? You just got here," Tony said as Tim and Abby walked off.

"If you would not have rushed out so quickly last night then you would have been here when Gibbs said that he was going to wait for Abby in her lab this morning."

Tony glared at her, again, "I like Tim better than you."

"Then we agree about something."

* * *

Tim hoped that Abby would start feeling more comfortable when she got down to her lab… and he soon found out.

Abby gasped as she walked into her lab and saw Gibbs pressing random buttons on one of her machines, "No, no, no! You can't do that to my babies!"

"Nice to see you too, Abby," Gibbs smiled. That had been the reaction he was hoping to get from her.

She gave him a hug, "Sorry. Good to see you, Bossman." She looked back at her machine, "Now, what did you touch?"

"The white button."

"_Just_ the white button?"

"And the yellow one."

She let out a sigh of relief, "That's good. I got here in time. No damage done."

Tim couldn't help but smile. He was so glad that Abby's fears of returning to work seemed to have disappeared.

"Well, I have to get back to the squad room before Tony and Ziva kill each other," Gibbs began, "Tim, Vance wants you to stay down here with Abby for today. You two okay with that?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Tim answered.

"More than okay," Abby added. She was hoping Tim would be allowed to stay with her. She was more comfortable that she expected she would be, but she was still scared to be alone down there.

"Okay. See you two later." He walked out of the room, "Welcome back," He called out as he stepped into the elevator.

* * *

Tim and Abby's first day back went smoothly. Neither of them had much to do. There were no new cases happening, just finishing up on some of the cold cases that the rest of the team had been working on since Abby and Tim had been absent.

* * *

_Four days later…_

Tim had spent the last four days in the lab with Abby. Everyone could tell that she didn't think she was ready to be alone in the lab.

But, Gibbs got a call, and he needed all three of his agents to come along.

"McGee, come on. We've got a case," Gibbs said as he entered the lab.

Tim looked at Abby, then to Gibbs, "Yes, Boss," He said. He was obviously concerned about leaving Abby.

"Tony and Ziva are in the car. I'll meet you there."

Tim nodded. He gave one last look to Abby, smiling at her reassuringly. She looked nervous… very nervous.

"You'll be fine," Gibbs said to her once Tim left.

"How do you know? What if I screw something up? What if I've forgotten how to do something?"

"You've been back for four days, Abbs. Tim's been here with you. Have you needed him to help you remember how to do anything?"

"Well… no."

"Exactly." He put his arm around her, "You need to realize that you are perfectly capable of doing all of this on your own. I believe in you, Tim believes in you, we all believe in you. You are going to do just fine."

She took a deep breath, "Can I call if I need to?"

Gibbs gave her a kiss on her forehead, "Of course you can."

* * *

It was almost six o'clock that evening when Tim's desk phone rang. He hadn't been down to Abby's lab all day, by Gibbs request, so he quickly answered, knowing it would be Abby.

"Timmy! Get Gibbs! Get everyone! Get down here! Now!"

"What's wrong Ab-" He was cut off by the dial tone. She had hung up on him.

Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs were all staring at him. "What's wrong?" Tony asked.

"I'm not sure. Abby wants us all to go to her lab… It sounded urgent."

They all jumped to their feet and rushed down to the lab as fast as possible.

"Was she crying?" Ziva asked as they all hurried down the stairs. They didn't bother to wait for the elevator.

"No, I don't think so."

"Well, yes or no, Tim?" Gibbs demanded a _real_ answer.

"No. No she wasn't."

"Maybe this was all too much," Tony said, "Maybe she shouldn't have come back yet."

They made it to the lab door, and stopped.

There was Abby, with a huge smile on her face, jumping up and down, "I did it! I did it!" She pronounced happily.

That was not what they were expecting.

"Did what, Abby?" Tim asked, slightly out of breath.

"I ran the hair and the fingerprint that you gave me from the crime scene today!" He smile didn't fade, even as she noticed the confused faces of the rest of the team.

"Did you get something big from it?" Tony asked.

She shook her head, and stopped jumping, but the smile remained, "No. Nothing."

"I do not understand," Ziva said with a furrowed brow.

"I do," Gibbs replied, a smile on his face as well, although not half as big as the one on Abby's.

"I did it, Gibbs. I did my job, by myself, and I didn't screw up. I did it!.. I'm back!"

At any other time, this would seem like the dumbest thing to be happy about. But, somehow, it was the best thing the whole team had heard in a long time.

* * *

**Added this pretty soon after posting my last chapter cause they are both kind of short. **

**So, the next chapter is my last :( I'll be sad to walk away from this story, but it's time.**

**On another note: Does anyone have an already dug out hole that I could bury myself in? Why, you ask? Well, I got my ACT results. I didn't do as horribly as I thought I would, but I still did horribly. I just can't wait for all of this testing crap to be over and done with! I hate it with a passion.**

**Anyway, please review to let me know what you think. Each and every review it much appreciated.**

**There are some people I can't reply to, because thy sign on as a guest, but I'd just like to say: Thank you so much! _Gabby_: You have been a faithful reviewer and I appreciate every single review you have given! Thanks :)**


	25. The Final Words

**Update about my ACT. Turns out I got a good enough score to have 75% of my college paid for. I guess I don't totally suck ;) Anyway, here's the last chapter:**_  


* * *

Two weeks later…_

Abby was pacing back and forth in her lab. She had her hand tightly wrapped around the skull and crossbones necklace she was wearing. Work had been pretty slow today, giving her a lot of time to think. She had been thinking about it on and off ever since she began staying at Tim's place, but now she was _really_ thinking about it.

She knew what she had to do. She knew that she had to ask him… but she wasn't sure how he'd react. That made her nervous. What if he didn't understand why? What if he thought she was crazy?

She had called him down to her lab just a few minutes earlier. He said he'd be down as soon as he could, but Gibbs was in a pretty… intense mood that day.

_'I could wait till the end of the day,'_ She thought, _'No. No I can't. If I wait, then I'll end up not asking… I need to ask now.'_

The elevator door dinged. She stopped pacing and stared at the doorway, waiting for him to appear there.

"Hey, Abby. Something wrong? You sounded pretty shook up on the phone."

She took a deep breath, "I need to ask you a favor, Timmy."

* * *

Tim and Abby stepped out of the car. She stood on the sidewalk and waited as Tim walked around the car and came up beside her. She hesitated for a moment, until Tim held out his hand.

She looked at him and smiled, then put her hand in his.

"You sure?" Tim asked.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Okay."

They walked off of the sidewalk and onto the grass.

Abby was calm… calmer than she expected she'd be, anyway. Her talk with Tim had gone well. At first, he didn't quite understand why she wanted to do this, but after he listened to her explain, he understood perfectly… And he never for a second thought that she was crazy.

They walked quietly for a couple of minutes. She let Tim guide her, seeing he knew where to go, and she didn't.

"It's right over here," Tim said as he pointed to it with his free hand.

They took a few more steps, and they were there. Abby stared at the gravestone, "He's under there?"

Tim nodded, "Six feet down."

"Good."

Abby leaned her head against Tim. She wasn't scared, nervous, angry, or sad. All the horrible things he did to her didn't flash through her mind… That wasn't her reason for coming either. She didn't want to know if seeing his gravestone would make her feel better, or worse, she just wanted to tell him one thing. It didn't matter if actually being there meant he could hear her any more or less than if she were somewhere else… or if he could even hear her at all. She just needed to say it… and she needed to say it there.

With Tim by her side, their hands intertwined, she looked down at the ground, where Joe was lying, dead.

"You lose."

* * *

**The End... Or, in Gibbs speak, Rule 11.**

**I hope you have all enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing.**

**I've already started writing my new story and will begin posting it when I have a few chapters ready. **

**Thank you all for being so amazing and calming my nerves with this being my first NCIS story. I feared that it would suck, and that everyone would hate it, but now it is my most reviewed, alerted, and read story! I can't thank you enough.**

**God Bless!**


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